Of Books and Culture in the Middle East…….
“Saudi Arabia has asserted her highly elevated literary and cultural profile by participating with 25 thousand book titles in the Cairo Book Fair and Exhibition…….... Among the government sectors participating are the universities of umm el-Qira, King Faisal, King Saud, Imam Mohammed Bin Saud, al-Qaseem..........”
Let me guess, and my guesses are highly educated: at least 35.7% of the titles are about the wisdom and achievements of some potentates, another 40% are about religion (guess which school of religion). The rest? Oh, a mix of books about petroleum, the economy, local flora & fauna (I know these are beautiful), and poetry (probably the best of the bunch, Arabic poetry is among the most beautiful in the world). I would discount the fiction, the few novels; Arabic fiction of the Gulf region is among the worst in the world, if only because the author has to write within all kinds of religious, social, family, and political restrictions. In Saudi Arabia it would be even worse simply because the dominant inland Najdi society is harsher and more closed, unlike the sea-going other Gulf states. I tried, when I was back on the shores of my Gulf, to read a couple of them, and gave up in disgust. There probably are a few good ones, but they will have to be published in foreign countries.
Cheers
mhg
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