By Mohammed Iqbal
The Arabic novel — Al Qursan (The Pirate) — has entered its third edition in a year and the Doha-based publishers, Bloomsbury Qatar Foundation has just released an English version under the title The Corsair.
The story of the novel is woven around a controversial tribal hero in the Gulf named Erhama bin Jabor who lived in the early 19th century, when most of the region was controlled by the British empire.
The author uses this historical setting to unravel the hypocrisy and ruthlessness of power and politics, intertwining it with the life and traditions of the warring Arabian tribes in that era.
Writing the first novel was not a piece of cake, says Al Mahmoud.
“My interest was not to write a novel, but introduce the life of a period, about which very little is known. I thought fiction is the best medium to present my ideas in a way that interests the readers,” Al Mahmould told The Peninsula.
“If you are writing a novel you must read a lot, especially if it is a historic novel. You must also love writing. If you don’t have the passion for writing then just forget about that.”
The form — fiction — gave him more freedom in visualising his characters and situations.
“In a historical novel, you don’t have to be hundred per cent true to historical facts. You have the freedom to create imaginary characters and situations that will help you develop the basic plot in an interesting way,” said Al Mahmoud.
Dealing with historical figures, however, has its risks as well.
“You must be very cautious while presenting a historical personality, since their successors may be living amidst you. It is tricky and challenging at the same time,” he added.
Al Mahmoud came to the idea of writing a novel while exploring the history of the region, but finding enough material for the novel was a tough task for the author.
“There is only scattered information available about the era most of which was written by western historians in their own perspective. Since my aim was not to document history, I had to look for other sources to know more about the life the people. For this I relied mainly on oral narratives, that passed through generations but are not properly documented,” said Al Mahmoud.
“We have a very rich oral tradition that is still alive in the memories of the people. It is unfortunate that no serious initiatives are taken to record and document this legacy,” he lamented.
It took about three years for the plot to mature in his mind and another 11 months to actually write the novel. Once the book was released, the response was overwhelming, apparently due to the novelty of the theme and the treatment.
Many popular newspapers, magazines and websites in the Arab world carried appreciative reviews about the novel that has won readers not only in the Gulf but also in other Arab countries like Egypt and Jordan.
Despite the wide acceptance the first novel has received in the region, Al Mahmoud believes that fiction- writing is still in its infancy in this part of the world.
Development of any genre of literature requires good publishers and a good reading culture, which are lacking in the region. Writers here also face restrictions imposed by the peculiar political and cultural environment.
The Peninsula
