Celebrating 50 Years of Emirati Talent
This year the United Arab Emirates celebrates its 50th anniversary since it was founded on 2 December 1971. To celebrate this milestone we look back on the history of literature in the region — after all, this is the Emirates Literature Foundation Blog — and how far the country’s literary scene has come in the past five decades.
1970s
Ousha bint Khalifa Al Suwaidi
Ousha was known by a different name for most of her prolific poetry career, most notably “Fatat Al-Arab” (The Girl of the Arabs), and Ousha Al Sha’era (Ousha the Poet). She quickly gained prominence for her award-winning Nabati poems — a style of poetry more specific to the Arabian Gulf region, since it was often recited by Bedouins — much of which has been set to music.
Ousha’s love for the region was often showcased in her work, which often focused on the natural environment of the UAE, specifically the desert sands and the waters of the Gulf. Her skill with poetry led her to begin corresponding with His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, as they began to trade poems addressed to each other, with the Sheikh even dedicating many of his poems to her. Ousha is often cited as the inspiration for many young female poets in the UAE and is the subject of Dr. Rafia Ghubash’s book, Al Amaal Al Kamila Wa Al Seera Al Thatiya (The Life Story and Journey of Ousha bint Khalifa Al Suwaidi).
Other significant writers
Taryam Omran Taryam
Taryam Omran Taryam: The co-founder of the Sharjah-based publishing house Dar Al Khaleej Printing & Publishing, which in turn led to the founding of both the Arabic-language newspaper Al Khaleej in 1970, and the English language one, Gulf Today in 1996. Both papers are still in circulation today.
Shayka al-Nakhi
One of the first Emirati women to publish a short story, when Al-Rahil (The Departure) was published in a Dubai magazine in 1970. She went on to become a master of the form as she went on to write more short story collections, with one of her stories even being translated and included in the English-language anthology In a Fertile Desert.
Mana Al Otaiba
The author of more than 135 poetry books (and several other nonfiction titles), Otaiba’s work was well known before the UAE even became known as a country. Since then, his work has gone on to be taught in schools and is even the basis of a TV show (Karima).
1980s
Khalid Albudoor
One of the big names at the forefront of the modern poetry movement in the UAE, Albudoor was one of the founders of the Emirati Writers Union, and a board member of the former Dubai Cultural Council. He’s since published six poetry collections, even winning the Al-Khal Poetry Award for his first ever collection, Lail (Night). Albudoor is also heavily invested in the research documenting and preserving older forms of poetry, including folk songs, folk tales, and Nabati poetry, even having released a collection of old Nabati poems from the UAE titled Sowar Men Alams (Looking Back in Love).
Other significant writers
Habib Al Sayegh
A poet, writer, and philosopher, Al Sayegh began writing from a young age, eventually going on to become the Editor-in-Chief of Al Khaleej newspaper (where he had a regular column), and the Chair of the Board of Directors of the Emirates Writers Union. He was also the first Emirati to serve as the Secretary General of the Arab Writers Union.
Maryam Jumaa Faraj
A famous short story writer who has made many contributions to Emirati fiction and non-fiction. Her first volume of short stories, Fayruz, was published in 1988, and her second, Ma’ (Water), was published in 1994.
Habib Al Sayegh
He was a committee member of Al-Muntada, the UAE’s first literary magazine, from 1983-1987. He has published 62 books, including Shades of Love in 1995 and In the Valley of Muses in 2011. He is the first Arab winner of the Tagore Peace Award, which he received in 2012.
1990s
With the ‘90s came a whole wave of short story collections and novels as Emirati authors began to delve into this form. The decade also saw women come to the forefront of the literary community.
Mohammed Al Murr
One of the big names of Emirati literature — and an upcoming guest of the Emirates LitFest 2022 — Al Murr is a major force in encouraging more Emiratis to get into writing, to better capture and develop this key aspect of the local culture. He developed a passion for reading and writing at a young age, he’s since published many short story collections, two of which have been translated into English: Dubai Tales (1991) and The Wink of the Mona Lisa, and Other Stories From the Gulf (1998). His work offers a glimpse into Emirati society and what life in Dubai is really like for the local people.
Other significant writers
Nujoom Alghanem
A poet, an artist, and a filmmaker, she is also a founding member of the Emirates Writers’ Union and a recipient of the Pride of the UAE Medal through the Mohammed bin Rashid Government Excellence Award in 2018.
Ibrahim Al Hashimi
A renowned photographer, al Hashimi is also a poet and a translator, who writes about the UAE’s heritage for many Arab publications, including Al-Bayan and Al-Ittihad.
Sara al-Jawan
She is considered the first Emirati woman to have published a novel with Shajan Bint Al-Qadar Al-Hazeen in 1992. Prior to this, she was a member of the UAE armed forces during the 1991 Gulf War, which became the basis of another book, Yawmiyaat Mujannada (Diary of a Recruit).
2000s
Maha Gargash
Following a career spanning 20 years as a radio and television presenter, as well as a documentary director, Gargash wrote the English-language novel, The Sand Fish, which was published by HarperCollins in 2009, followed by The Other Me in 2016. This marks her as one of the few Arab authors who has books published globally in their original language rather than translated for a global audience.
Other significant writers
Dr. Afra Atiq
A spoken word poet, Atiq is the co-founder of Untitled Chapters, which focuses on bringing together female Emirati writers so they have a space to share their stories and pursue their literary ambitions. She is the first Emirati spoken word poet to perform at Nyuorican Poet’s Cafe and the Bowery Poetry Club in New York City, and win the PoetsNY poetry slam.
Yasser Hareb
A writer and TV presenter, Hareb has published a few novels, including 2006’s Towards a New Thought, 2011’s Picasso and Starbucks, and 2013’s The New Slaves. International best-selling author Paulo Coelho serves as his mentor and wrote the foreword to his 2015 novel, Take Off Your Shoes. They are currently writing a book together.
Aisha Al Kaabi
Al Kaabi is not only a poet and a writer, but also an artist, and a translator. She won the Emirates Women Award in Literature and Art in 2011, for her novel No Consolation for House Cats. She followed this up by opening her own publishing house, IQRAni in 2012.
2010s
Sultan Al Ameemi
While most of Ameemi’s literary focus has been on Arab poetry — specifically researching and documenting local dialects, as well as penning 20 books on UAE poetry and poets, and serving on the poetry-focused TV show Million’s Poet — he made history in 2017 when his novel Ghurfa Waheda La Takfi (One Room is Not Enough) was the first Emirati novel to be nominated for the International Prize for Arabic Fiction. The novel, which draws on Al Ameemi’s flair for poetic language has since been translated into French, Spanish, Portuguese, Hindi, and Russian. His other novel, P.O. Box 1003 was adapted into a TV show in 2019. He’s also written three other short story collections and currently writes a weekly column for the newspaper, Emarat Al Youm.
Other significant writers
Noura Al Noman
Noura Al Noman: The author of the first-ever Emirati science fiction novel when her first book Ajwan was published in 2012. She followed it up with the first of many planned sequels, Ajwan, Mandaan in 2014.
Omar Saif Ghobash
The author of 2017’s Letters to a Young Muslim, Ghobash is also one of the sponsors of the Saif Ghobash Banipal Prize for Arabic Translation, and a founding trustee of the International Prize for Arabic Fiction. He is currently working on his next book. Find out more on the Boundless Book Club podcast.
Dubai Abulhoul
In 2012, Abulhoul became the first Emirati author to publish a fantasy novel, Galagolia, in English. She has since published a series of children’s books with the goal of introducing younger generations to key figures of Emirati folklore.
2020s
Maitha Al Khayat
A prolific writer and illustrator, Al Khayat has published 17 books aimed at young audiences in less than 10 years, including My Own Special Way and Turn Off the Lights. She’s also written for children’s TV shows, including the Arabic version of Sesame Street and the Emirati cartoon, Hamdoon.
Salha Obaid
Obaid is an award-winning novelist and writer, who also founded the Society of the Intellectual project. Her 2010 short story collection Alzheimers was translated into German, while her book An Implicity White Lock of Hair earned her the Al Owais Creativity Award in 2015. She is also a columnist for the Arabic language newspaper Al-Roeya.
Zayed Al Murzooqi
An Emirati writer who published his first and second novels, Alsatter Alakheer and Shararat Almadi in 2018, followed by his third, Ghaihab Alhaya, in 2019. His most recent novel is Nahj Kafeef.
You can see some of these authors and more at this years Emirates LitFest. For more news on what the Emirates Literature Foundation is up to, follow us on Twitter and Instagram. And to keep up with the rest of our book-filled discussion, you can listen to the latest episode of our Boundless Book Club podcast, featured down below!