The new releases include “Saudi Challenges and Reforms” in both English and Arabic by journalist and broadcaster Samar Fatany and “Imraa Alal Haffa” (“A Woman on the Brink”) by Dr. Soad Jaber, a pediatrician at King Abdulaziz University Hospital.
With her two latest books, Fatany has four titles to her credit. The earlier two publications are “Saudi Perceptions and Western Misconceptions” and “Saudi Women Toward a New Era,” both in English.
Jaber has published four books for children and two novels, including the latest one, all in Arabic.
“I take exceptional interest in writing for children,” said Jaber.
The two other writers were Dr. Amal Shata and Etidal Etaiwi, a social worker.
Shata’s latest novel is her fifth, titled “Always love.” She is a physician by profession but has always found her passion in literature. She also has a series of children’s books and a play to her credit.
“The idea of having a book-signing event, which is not very common in Saudi Arabia, is a good idea to promote a new literary work, especially that book marketing itself is a burgeoning field here,” she said.
Etaiwi had two new books at the signing event — Al-Amthal Al-Shaabiya (Folk Parables in Hejaz) and Taqasum Al-Tawajus (Dispelling Apprehensions), an anthology of poems. She is a columnist with Al-Madinah newspaper and a well-known local painter. “I have enjoyed this event,” she said.
She added this is a good beginning for the Saudi Word Association, which is a new society being formed.
The association is the brainchild of Nabeela Mahjoub, a novelist and columnist, and has 11 founding board members, among them are the four authors who took part in the book-signing event.
“The association aims to promote cultural and intellectual discourse in Saudi society and support new talents,” she said.
Fatany’s book, published by the Cairo-based Arab Center for Publication Media and Research, is a chronicle of an era of reform that began in 2001 when Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah, then the crown prince, started on a new road toward economic development and prosperity while maintaining reverence for the tenets of Islam. King Abdullah has since initiated strategic policies to reform Saudi institutions and find a balance between progress and tradition.
“The Kingdom is experiencing a transformation of society,” Fatany told Arab News. “I’ve witnessed these changes with a particular eye on the changing role of Saudi women in society. This book is a reflection of the challenges associated with change and a celebration of a new era in which women take on an increasingly important role as partners in shaping the Kingdom’s future.”
She says the book discusses youth, women and judiciary as the three major elements identified for reform by the king. “The recent Cabinet reshuffle was a step in the right direction, as that will lead to aggressive steps and pave the way for more reforms. There has been some resistance to change and that is also being addressed.”
She added: “We have to identify the engine of change and accelerate its pace. The king’s vision for the Kingdom is on a par with the global village concept and the world’s more advanced societies. In fact, the isolation of Saudi society from the rest of the world has led to the spread of a lot of misinformation and misconceptions.”
In this book, which is the latest collection of her newspaper columns published in the Kingdom’s leading English daily Arab News, Fatany looks at the signs of progress and the impediments that block the way. She also shares her experiences at several international conferences where she represented the media or the people of Saudi Arabia.
“Many of the forums had promoted new ideas that may someday provide some of the solutions to the challenges the Kingdom faces,” says the book in its foreword. “Perhaps the most important facet of the book is her attention to the economic realities of present and future, with which she makes convincing arguments about employment, productivity and education.”
Fatany says she will consider the book successful if it gives the people of Saudi Arabia cause to ponder the facts and realize that the way forward begins with building a consensus, and the first step toward that goal is talking to one another and, as importantly, listening to one another.
