Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Monday, Jun 02, 2025

A new chapter for Saudi writers begins at London Book Fair

A new chapter for Saudi writers begins at London Book Fair

Representatives of Saudi Arabia’s Literature, Publishing and Translation Commission took part in the London Book Fair this week, with the aim of continuing its work to build an international audience for writers in the Kingdom.
The commission’s participation at the three-day event, which concluded on Thursday, came as part of its Tarjim, or “Translate,” initiative that was launched in 2020 as part of Vision 2030. It provides funding for the translation of “important” Arabic content, to make it available to a wider global audience and help address outdated perceptions of the Kingdom.

“The main goal is to enhance Arabic content by funding translation,” Mohammed Hasan Alwan, the CEO of the commission, told Arab News.

“But our aim is also to bridge the gap between the Arabic language and other cultures and languages, and we are pleased to see that it is making excellent progress. Our initiative is constantly expanding.”

An initial 250 grants were handed out in 2021, and plans to translate 500 works in 2022 increased to 700, leaving Alwan and his team “delighted” with the progress.

Among the works that have been translated is Jumana Al-Sehaiti’s COVID-19-inspired “Dear X,” which started out as a series of daily letters and diary entries the author wrote to herself during the first eight months of the pandemic. She revised and assembled them into a novel at the suggestion of her publisher.

Al-Sehaiti said the commission’s translation program has benefits for writers that go beyond increased readership, as she sees it as further evidence of the recent social progress in the Kingdom.

“I published my first book in 2008, a time when women had a limited role in the literature field (in Saudi Arabia) but it’s beginning to expand, thanks to the crown prince and the Ministry of Culture,” she told Arab News.

“Every writer likes to have readers but the more I can expand on my circle of readers the more I can expand on myself as a reader, and this will only expand upon my way of writing.”

While the Ministry funds the translation programme, it leaves the responsibility of selecting the books with a number of publishers. One of them is Nomad, the publisher of “Dear X,” which was also at the London Book Fair to showcase five of 50 works it has translated that are due for release this year.

“We started the project last year … with the (translation) process taking three to four months per book,” Nomad’s director, Max Scott, told Arab News.

“The commission essentially leaves us to determine which works should go forward — we have 70 more in the pipeline — and what we look for are works that will have a genuine interest to international readers.”

Scott said that the books he and his team have worked on cover a wide range of writing in the Kingdom, including some works that tackle sensitive or challenging subject matter that might have been taboo in the past.

By way of an example, he highlights “Dates and Bullets,” which is about the Seferberlik, the forced conscription of Arabs by the Ottoman Empire during the First World War. Nomad has also translated the horror novel “Room 8,” he added, and poetry collection “I Know Well the Face of Despair” by Hatem Al-Shahri.

“Some of the books we have worked on have been printed multiple times in Saudi Arabia,” Scott said. “And while domestic success is obviously taken into consideration, for us as a publisher, our focus is as much on finding works that show an alternative side of Saudi Arabia, one that we feel sometimes gets lost amid the noise.”

Author Al-Onaid Al-Rashidy achieves this sort of fresh perspective with her sci-fi novel “Haleya: The Girl Who Combats Fear,” which takes as its inspiration the Saudi nomadic communities of the past.

“I based it off Saudi folklore and the way Bedouin tribes lived,” she told Arab News. “Our ancestors lived in the desert and I based my novel off their stories and oral history, and the life of a Bedouin man who was characterised by bravery, generosity and strength.”

Commission CEO Alwan said that this year the organization aims to provide grants for the translation of at least 750 works.

There are also plans to translate more Arabic works into languages other than English. A spokesperson for the ministry told Arab News that each year they will look to expand into additional languages, and also translate more foreign works into Arabic.

“We are optimistic about the future of Tarjim and hope to receive high quality translation grant requests from publishers,” said Alwan.

“This will enable us to further enhance the quality of Arabic content and promote Saudi writers on a larger scale but, more importantly, foster cross-cultural understanding and appreciation, as we have successfully translated from 14 other languages into Arabic.”
Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Paris Saint-Germain's Greatest Triumph Is Football’s Lowest Point
OPEC+ Agrees to Increase Oil Output for Third Consecutive Month
Turkey Detains Istanbul Officials Amid Anti-Corruption Crackdown
Meta and Anduril Collaborate on AI-Driven Military Augmented Reality Systems
EU Central Bank Pushes to Replace US Dollar with Euro as World’s Main Currency
European and Arab Ministers Convene in Madrid to Address Gaza Conflict
U.S. Health Secretary Ends Select COVID-19 Vaccine Recommendations
Trump Warns Putin Is 'Playing with Fire' Amid Escalating Ukraine Conflict
India and Pakistan Engage Trump-Linked Lobbyists to Influence U.S. Policy
U.S. Halts New Student Visa Interviews Amid Enhanced Security Measures
Trump Administration Cancels $100 Million in Federal Contracts with Harvard
SpaceX Starship Test Flight Ends in Failure, Mars Mission Timeline Uncertain
King Charles Affirms Canadian Sovereignty Amid U.S. Statehood Pressure
Iranian Revolutionary Guard Founder Warns Against Trusting Regime in Nuclear Talks
UAE Offers Free ChatGPT Plus Subscriptions to Citizens
Lebanon Initiates Plan to Disarm Palestinian Factions
Iran and U.S. Make Limited Progress in Nuclear Talks
The Daily Debate: The Fall of the Dollar — Strategic Reset or Economic Self-Destruction?
Trump Administration's Tariff Policies and Dollar Strategy Spark Global Economic Debate
OpenAI Acquires Jony Ive’s Startup for $6.5 Billion to Build a Revolutionary “Third Core Device”
Turkey Weighs Citizens in Public as Erdoğan Launches National Slimming Campaign
Saudi-Spanish Business Forum Commences in Riyadh
Saudi Arabia and Spain Sign MoU to Boost SME Sectors
UK Suspends Trade Talks with Israel Amid Gaza Offensive
Iran and U.S. Set for Fifth Round of Nuclear Talks Amid Rising Tensions
Russia Expands Military Presence Near Finland Amid Rising Tensions
Indian Scholar Arrested in Crackdown Over Pakistan Conflict Commentary
Israel Eases Gaza Blockade Amid Internal Dispute Over Military Strategy
President Biden’s announcement of advanced prostate cancer sparked public sympathy—but behind closed doors, Democrats are in panic
A Chinese company made solar tiles that look way nicer than regular panels!
Indian jet shootdown: the all-robot legion behind China’s PL-15E missiles
The Chinese Dragon: The True Winner in the India-Pakistan Clash
Australia's Venomous Creatures Contribute to Life-Saving Antivenom Programme
The Spanish Were Right: Long Working Hours Harm Brain Function
Did Former FBI Director Call for Violence Against Trump? Instagram Post Sparks Uproar
US and UAE Partner to Develop Massive AI Data Center Complex
Apple's $95 Million Siri Settlement: Eligible Users Have Until July 2 to File Claims
US and UAE Reach Preliminary Agreement on Nvidia AI Chip Imports
President Trump and Elon Musk Welcomed by Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim with Cybertruck Convoy
Strong Warning Issued: Do Not Use General Chatbots for Medical, Legal, or Educational Guidance
Saudi Arabia Emerges as Global Tech Magnet with U.S. Backing and Trump’s Visit
This was President's departure from Saudi Arabia. The Crown Prince personally escorted him back to the airport.
NVIDIA and Saudi Arabia Launch Strategic Partnership to Establish AI Centers
Trump Meets Syrian President Ahmad al-Shara in Historic Encounter
Trump takes a blow torch to the neocons and interventionists while speaking to the Saudis
US and Saudi Arabia Sign Landmark Agreements Across Multiple Sectors
Why Saudi Arabia Rolled Out a Purple Carpet for Donald Trump Instead of Red
Elon Musk Joins Trump Meeting in Saudi Arabia
Trump says it would be 'stupid' not to accept gift of Qatari plane
Quantum Computing Threatens Bitcoin Security
×