Five Emirati novels that reflect the UAE’s modern transformation

These books reflect how writers have documented the nation’s rapid evolution and added perspectives to Arabic literature

Emirati novels published over the past three decades reflect the country’s social change. Victor Besa / The National

Eid Al Etihad, also known as UAE National Day, on December 2 marks the founding of the federation in 1971 and the beginning of a period of social and economic change.

Those shifts have been reflected in more than three decades of Emirati fiction, with many of these works appearing in The National’s lists of the most important Arabic novels of the 20th and 21st centuries.

From early novels that examined questions of identity and tradition to contemporary works reflecting shifting family dynamics amid urban expansion, these books show how Emirati writers have used literature to trace a society constantly evolving while holding on to the enduring values responsible for the country’s sense of purpose and resilience.

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1. Shajan Bint Al Qadar Al Hazeen (1992) by Sara Al Jarwan

Shajan Bint Al Qadar Al Hazeen by Sara Al Jarwan. Photo: Kuttab Publishing

An important work in the history of literature from the UAE, Shajan Bint Al Qadar Al Hazeen is considered the first novel published by an Emirati woman.

The story follows Shajan, a woman who has strong modern desires and dreams while living in a community with traditional values. Shajan’s journey, and the conflicts she faces within herself and with her family, touch on themes of identity, cultural heritage and the struggles of women within the Gulf region, which had undergone rapid change over the past few decades.

Exploring the evolving role of women in Emirati society, the novel is still relevant more than 20 years after it was published and serves as a pivotal piece in Arab literature from the Gulf.

2. The Diesel (1994) by Thani Al Suwaidi

The Diesel by Thani Al Suwaidi. Photo: Antibookclub

An innovative and daring novel, The Diesel is written in dreamlike and surreal passages that delve into the quest for identity in the modern world. The story follows a teenage boy from a small Arab community who is breaking away from ancestral attitudes and social constraints.

Written in a stream-of-consciousness style, the novel explores a social-cultural shift where the power of petroleum is shaping society and how people view themselves and their future. Al Suwaidi’s novel includes a cast of complex, intriguing characters and mystical creatures where traditional familial relationships, within the context of the Arab world, are changing. The novel also depicts how art, in all its forms, is the only constant element transcending the material world.

3. That Other Me (2016) by Maha Gargash

That Other Me by Maha Gargash. Photo: Qindeel Printing Publishing and Distribution

Set in mid-1990s Dubai and Cairo, Maha Gargash’s second novel That Other Me tells the story of secrets and betrayals consuming three members of a prominent Emirati family. The main characters are an authoritarian father, a rebellious, abandoned daughter and a vulnerable niece. The book explores the goals and ambitions of the three apparently different relatives and how their decisions impact one another’s lives. That Other Me sheds a light on the expected role of women in Emirati society and how they are received and supported, or hindered, by their guardians.

4. One Room is Not Enough (2016) by Sultan Al Amimi

One Room is Not Enough by Sultan Al Amimi. Photo: Difaf Publishing

A man wakes up to find himself in an empty room with no windows. His only connection to the outside world is through a peephole in a door. Looking through it, he sees a man living a normal life. He even looks and acts like him.

In the room, the man finds a book titled Unified Choices, with his name as its author. Other than a vague introduction, the book is empty. Using a pen he finds in his pocket, the man begins to fill the pages with his autobiography, recounting stories from his life.

Sultan Al Amimi’s One Room is Not Enough is about resilience and how, even in emptiness, purpose and pleasure can be found from our history and experience.

5. The Touch of Light (2024) by Nadia Al Najjar

The Touch of Light by Nadia Najar. Photo: International Prize for Arabic Fiction

A blind narrator uses a piece of technology that scans photographs and describes what is in them. With every photograph scanned, the narrator, Noura, recalls a story surrounding it and what it meant to her. The stories range from the personal to the general, but also recount the story of Dubai and its evolution from the discovery of oil to the global destination it is today.

Noura also tells how she experiences her city despite not being able to see it. The Touch of Light by Nadia Al Najjar is a story of taking pride in one’s surroundings despite not being able to experience them as others do.