Abdul Aziz Al Mahmoud
By MOHAMMED IQBAL
DOHA: Three editions of the first novel in a year — this is a real feat for a debutant novelist, especially in a region where fiction writing is still in its infancy.
Abdul Aziz Al Mahmoud, a Qatari writer with a passion for history and journalism, is happy that his first novel in Arabic, Al Qursan (The Pirate) has evoked an encouraging response among readers across the Gulf region and even in other Arab countries like Egypt and Jordan.
The 350-page novel based on the history of the Gulf region in the early 19th century was first published by Bloomsbury Qatar Foundation about a year ago. The Arabic version has now entered its third edition and Bloomsbury has just released an English translation under the title The Corsair (Pirate).
Al Mahmoud says he turned to fiction writing as a way to explore and rediscover the life and traditions of the Gulf region in an era about which very little has been written.
“The history and traditions of the Gulf region are live in the memories of the people and in oral narratives. But no serious attempts have been made to properly document them. In my novel, I am trying to tell how people in the region in the early 19th century lived their harsh lives and fought among each other,” Al Mahmoud told The Peninsula yesterday.
Al Qursan is basically a historic novel, set in a period when most of the Gulf region was under the control of the British empire.
“But I have a taken a lot of freedom in developing the plot, intertwining it with the life and customs of the Arabian tribes in that era,” said Al Mahmoud.
The name of the novel is related to the central character Erhama bin Jabir, a controversial tribal hero, known for his bravery and war skills. An adventurous seafarer, Erhama owned a small fleet of war boats and engaged in relentless battles with warring tribes. “The British called him “The Pirate” and painted him in bad colours. However, they were not consistent in their view. They realised the importance of Erhama and was forced to engage with him to achieve their goals,” said Al Mahmoud.
“Erhama was very famous among the Arabian tribes. According to some narratives, he was born in Kuwait, spent part of his life in north of Qatar, in a place called Khor Al Hassan and owned a fort in Oman. I have heard about this historical character and found in him a medium to depict the life of the period and the ruthless nature of power and politics,” added Al Mahmoud.The novel has won critical acclaim with reviews appearing in several leading Arabic dailies in Qatar, Kuwait, Jordan and the UK and popular websites including Al Jazeera Net.
Buoyed by the success of the first novel, Al Mahmoud is now planning his second novel, which he says will go deeper into the history of the Gulf region. “I can not say exactly what I am going to write since the theme has not yet fully developed in my mind,” he said.
The author had served in several leading positions in media including as the editor-in-chief of The Peninsula and Al Sharq and chief editor of Aljazeera Net. THE PENINSULA
