Books

Two published books, a further novel, and a body of stories carried by the Kuwaiti press.

Cover of Wouroud l-Iyab: green calligraphic brushwork on a coral ground.

1989Short stories · Kuwait

ورود الإياب

Wouroud l-Iyab — Roses of Return

Her first collection, published in Kuwait in 1989. The title story gives the book its name — a woman driving without a destination, looking for one honest friend to shout at, finding only the sea.

The collection carries a dedication she has never changed:

To my father, who left me on the eve of the best years of my youth, and from whom I inherited my love for the pen, the word and the letters.
To my husband, who has been my best friend and has nurtured and strengthened my passion until it bore fruit.

Read the title story (PDF, Arabic)

From the first edition

Cover of Thus Mariam Was Born: a painted landscape in red and green.

2006Novel

هكذا ولدت مريم

Hakaza Woulidat Mariam — Thus Mariam Was Born

Here is a story about human suffering that looks at part of the harsh times endured by the population of Kuwait as a result of the Iraqi invasion. It was during this difficult period that Mariam came into the world.

A story of human suffering that reminds us of so many others: people forced to leave their homes and properties and to flee as best they could the infernal war machine and its ensuing chaos.

Had I wanted to change the characters and places that figure in this book, I could have simply switched to another region of the world and the storyline would have fit just as well.

Humans will remain humans. Suffering will always be suffering. It settles in the heart and sticks to the soul. In an attempt to drive it out of me I have turned to my pen and paper, in the hope that sharing my feelings will help me find some peace.

Read the full novel (PDF, Arabic)

The reading, March 2006

Photographs from the reading and signing for the novel, 26 March 2006.

Novel

هبة

Heba

A novel built out of four questions:

Can a woman who has never given birth become a mother — or is her motherhood a form of selfishness?
Is childbirth alone what gives rise to true motherhood?
Are we more tender towards those we love than the God of all tenderness?
Do we understand His wisdom in how He distributes His gifts and His graces among people?

Questions translated from the author’s own Arabic description.

Read the full novel — Part 1 (PDF, Arabic) Part 2 (PDF, Arabic)

Newspaper page of Taj al-Arous as printed in Al-Anbaa, with the author’s photograph.

1989Newspaper serial · Al-Anbaa

تاج العروس

Taj al-Arous — The Bride’s Crown

A collection of stories published by the Kuwaiti newspaper Al-Anbaa, beginning in April 1989. The clippings were kept, scanned, and are reproduced here.

The Al-Anbaa clippings (PDF, Arabic)

02·In print