JEDDAH: Two papers on Omani literature that were read out at a forum organized by the Jeddah Literary Club were enough to catch the attention of the audience which had long been puzzled by the absence of Omani novelists from the Arabic literature scene.
Much of the audience at the three-day forum, titled “Novels in the Arabian Peninsula,” that began on Friday were of the opinion that Omani writers were themselves responsible for the lack of knowledge about Omani literature because of their complete absence or shy attendance at literary events.
Omani novelist Abdul Aziz Al-Farsi, who attended the event, blamed their absence on a lack of publishing houses that could export their works abroad. “There is no accumulated literary production in Oman. We are still crawling in the realm of novels, short stories and plays,” he said.
Many GCC novelists print their works at foreign publishing houses to ensure their novels are widely circulated.
Al-Farsi said the absence of readers in Oman could be explained by the fact that the country witnessed an overwhelming economic boom while people remained illiterate. “We need to first create readers before we write novels for them,” he said.
The few Omani novels that have seen light have tackled very daring topics. “The Search for an Identity” by Hassan Lawati discussed homosexuality in Oman while the “Cuts of Fetters” by Muhammad Al-Oraimi gave an insight into the horrors of prisons in the Arab world.
Al-Farsi also mentioned the heterogeneous nature of Omani society and said it was a source of specialty and richness.
“We have communities that have not yet assimilated in society. They have their own cultural independence. This gives the Omani novel richness and distinction,” he said.
The forum was attended by an elite audience consisting of both genders and separated by wooden partitions. This did not prevent a healthy discussion on each of the papers presented at the event.
The event, however, was not attended by many Saudi youths. The classical Arabic used in texts and discussions are thought to be a reason behind this.
Interventions and questions were also lengthy. One lady made a lengthy interjection after which she asked Al-Farsi a very long question to which he comically replied, “I forgot what the question was.”
