As part of its participation as Market Focus at the London Book Fair 2022, Sharjah organised a panel discussion at the British Library which brought together leading Emirati authors who introduced the written and spoken traditions of the region, from vernacular Nabati poetry to myths and storytelling, and how these traditions are inspiring contemporary writing.

Titled ‘Tales of the Emirates: People, Poetry and Fantasy’, the session was held in the presence of Sheikh Fahim Al Qasimi, Chairman of the Department of Government Relations (DGR) in Sharjah and head of the Sharjah delegation at LBF 2022, HE Ahmed bin Rakkad Al Ameri, Chairman of the Sharjah Book Authority, and Sultan Al Ameemi, president of the Emirates Writers Union.

Speakers at the session –moderated by Irish poet and author Nikita Gill –included HE Mohammad Al Murr, Chairman of the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Library Foundation;HE Dr Abdulaziz Al Musallam, Chairman of the Sharjah Heritage Institute; and Dubai Abulhoul, author and journalist.

The global influence

HE Mohammad Al Murr stressed that culture is a mix of global human experiences. He reminisced that he started reading Arabic novels much before he was introduced to international literature, specifically European, Russian and Latin American.

While acknowledging the richness of Arab literature, Al Murr said his writing style is influenced by Russian author Anton Chekhov and Indian author R.K. Narayan.

Oral heritage

During the session, HEDr Abdulaziz Al Musallam stressed that Nabati poetry is one of the key strengths of the Emirati heritage which preserved and transported the oral tradition over generations. He said that an in-depth look of the poetic form would reveal the changes in lifestyles, values and societal norms through time.

Regarding the contributions of the Arabic heritage, he said: “There is a consensus that Indians and Persians are the best storywriters, while Arabs are the best narrators who transported the stories they collected from around the world and narrated them in their unique style.”

He continued: “A lot of fairy tales have unknown sources but some elements in them point to their Arabic roots. For instance, the story of Cinderella. However, over time, different cultures get added to a story, resulting in its current form. This shows that Arabic culture was a key influencer in humankind’s imagination and conscience.”

Writing for the younger generations

Dubai Abulhoulnoted how the stories she heard from her grandmother led her to international folktales.“It made me realise that human heritage is for all, and prompted me to write for children and contribute to the global cultural movement.”

She concluded that as an author, she needs to document the Emirati oral heritage to make it acceptable to the younger generations and to preserve it. She stressed that the most crucial responsibility of an author is to meet the community’s expectations and to produce more creative works.

She added: “People create fictional stories to explain certain events. I wrote about a genie that sinks ships, which begs the question,‘why do people create such evil characters’? The answer is that coastal communities needed a story to tell children when their fathers went fishing but never made it back.”

HE Mohammad AlMurr in Conversation

In the  session titled ‘HE Mohammad Al Murr in Conversation’ and moderated by Dr. Sinead Murphy, AlMurr said Arab culture played a significant role in the development of various literary genres , while the European culture shaped its modern form.