Abu Dhabi organized an event on “Reading…

Artistic representation and perspectives of others in Arabian Gulf fiction at local and international levels

Al Ain: The UAE University, in cooperation with the Sorbonne University in Abu Dhabi and the French Center for Studies in the Arabian Peninsula (CEFREPA), organized an international seminar on “Contemporary Fiction Reading in the Arabian Peninsula”. Many guests from home and abroad.

The international symposium aims to discuss the artistic and objective representation of Arabian Gulf fiction, the contexts in which it was produced, and how others perceive it locally and internationally. It also attempts to explore Arabian Gulf fiction in a new way and with different interpretations. As such, it features lectures by many key figures in the creation, interpretation and criticism of Arabian Gulf fiction, including Dr. Ibrahim Al-Saafin, Dr. Mogeb Aladwani, novelist Dr. Talib Al-Rifai, Dr. Rehab Al-Kilani, Dr. Jacqueline Jundo and others By.

Dr. Saif Al Mahrouqi, Associate Professor and Head of the Department of Arabic Language and Literature, explained that the workshop aims to answer many questions that professional and lay readers may have about some of the related assumptions. While it is difficult to give definitive answers in the field of literary studies, attempts to provide explanations form part of knowledge. This is usually what such workshops seek to achieve and achieve.

The first session of the symposium was held in the United Arab Emirates on the theme “Fiction writing techniques in the Arab Gulf countries, revealing important stylistic footprints in their narratives”, moderated by Professor Jamal Maqableh, United Arab Emirates. Participants included Dr. Ibrahim Al-Saafin from Jordan, Dr. Mogeb Aladwani from King Saud University, and Kuwaiti author and novelist Taleb Al-Refai. Dr Al-Saafin and Dr Aladwani both offer their perspectives as critics and scholars on the creative techniques novelists use to express their style and how it changes over time and place, while novelist Taleb Al-Rifai shares His own perception as a creator.

The second session was held at the UAE University and was entitled “Fiction in a Foreign Language: Prospects for Reception and Creativity”, with the participation of Dr. Jacqueline Jundo from the University of Toulouse, France and Dr. Rehab Al-Kilani from Zayed University, UAE. The meeting was moderated by Dr. Hany Rashwan from UAE University. Dr Jundo examines many Arabian Gulf novels written in English, while Dr Rehab Al-Kilani examines why some Arabian Gulf novels write in another language, and what drives them to express their issues and perspectives in languages ​​other than English themselves of.

The third session was held at the Sorbonne University in Abu Dhabi, entitled “Fiction and Belonging: History, Place and Identity”, with the participation of Dr Elisabeth Vauthier and Dr Martina Censi, University of Lyon, France, and Shahd Al Shammari, University of Bergamo, Italy Ph.D. and Dr. Shahd Al Shammari from Gulf University of Science and Technology, Kuwait discuss issues of identity and belonging in Arabian Gulf fiction, and their impact on narrative style. Papers presented at the conference included different models of novel creativity in the Arabian Gulf.

The 4th International Symposium was held at the Sorbonne University, Abu Dhabi, entitled “Contemporary Fiction from the Perspective of Literary Sociology (Novelist and Society: Mutual Perspectives)”, chaired by Dr. Karine Germoni, Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi. Participants included Dr. Wael Al Rabadi from Al al-Bayt University in Jordan, Dr. Isabelle Bernard from the University of Jordan, Dr. Zainab Ben Lagha and Dr. Emanuela Buscemi from the University of Paris, France. , from the University of Monterrey, Mexico. They review the timeless interrelationships between writers and societies of life and reflection, and their inescapable relations of influence and vulnerability.

The International Symposium concluded on the morning of Friday, March 17, 2023 at the Sorbonne University with a literary reading by participating novelists Taleb Al Rifai, Rehab Al Kilani and Shahd Al Shammari. This was followed by audience interventions and a rich discussion of excerpts from the presented literary texts and creative testimonies.