It is, by some margin, the most exciting time in the author Benny Daniel's writing career. Last month he was included on the longlist for the Man Asian Literary Prize, and tomorrow he finds out whether he's made the shortlist with his bestselling Goat Days, written in Malayalam in 2008 and translated into English last year.
"Honestly, I never expected I would be considered along with big writers like Orhan Pamuk, Hiromi Kawakami and Jeet Thayil," he says.
Daniel, who writes under the name Benyamin, is endearingly modest. He's previously won two separate Abu Dhabi-based awards for literature written in Malayalam, and Goat Days is an unflinching, moving and entirely absorbing account of migrant labour in the Gulf - which Benyamin should know a thing or two about; he left Kerala for Bahrain in 1992 as a callow 20-year-old.
"The Gulf is a place of pure luck. It doesn't matter about your education, your experience, your wealth, even. It's how you use your chances when you get them," he says of his own experience. "And for the jobless youth of Kerala, it was like a glittering dreamland. I didn't have any other ambition - or choice."
Goat Days explores what happens when that dream goes terribly wrong. Najeeb is an average lower middle-class Muslim from Kerala who wants to earn some quick money, pay off his debts and provide for his young family. But when he arrives at Riyadh airport, wide-eyed and enthusiastic, he is kidnapped and dumped in the desert, forced to tend goats for an evil arbab. Any small mistake results in terrible punishment. It is, as Benyamin is not afraid of suggesting, a modern-day slave tale. Tragically, it's also based on a true story.
"You read so many little newspaper stories that simply say a man has been found in the desert after being missing for a long time. But when I heard about Najeeb, I decided to meet him - not because I thought it was a good story but through sheer curiosity. This man had been through so much and after a while it felt like it became my duty to tell the world about people like him, living their lives in such suffering and pain."
It is true that the Gulf states' labour arrangements aren't exactly praised in Goat Days, although Benyamin is at pains to point out that since the time in which the book is set, after the first Gulf War, laws have been strengthened and "the situation has changed a lot; people are more vigilant". But labourers still come from India and Pakistan, Nepal and the Philippines, and find life tough.
"It is a mystery to me that some people have been here for 20 or 30 years, going home maybe once a year, but in the end they leave with very little," he says. "The strange thing is that I am sure if they stayed in India they could earn more."
All of this might make Goat Days sound impossibly hard going. But its real triumph - and, one senses, the reason for its Man Asian longlisting - is its uplifting message of hope and faith. Najeeb doesn't give in. He dreams of escape and surrenders to the will of God - and actually it's this unquestioning acceptance of his fate that allows Najeeb to survive three and a half tortuous years.
"It is a story of suffering, loneliness and alienation," admits Benyamin. "But more than that, I was trying convey the message that whatever the situation, hold onto hope until the last moment. You will be saved."
As for Benyamin, he's finally getting the worldwide praise his writing deserves, thanks in no small part to a beautiful translation from Joseph Koyippally. "I am delighted," he says. "Being longlisted is a memorable achievement for Malayalam literature and I really hope it makes people consider the Najeebs we see around us every day."
A QUIET PLACE
Starring: Lupita Nyong'o, Joseph Quinn, Djimon Hounsou
Director: Michael Sarnoski
Rating: 4/5
Places to go for free coffee
- Cherish Cafe Dubai, Dubai Investment Park, are giving away free coffees all day.
- La Terrace, Four Points by Sheraton Bur Dubai, are serving their first 50 guests one coffee and four bite-sized cakes
- Wild & The Moon will be giving away a free espresso with every purchase on International Coffee Day
- Orange Wheels welcome parents are to sit, relax and enjoy goodies at ‘Café O’ along with a free coffee
Company profile
Name: Pyppl
Established: 2017
Founders: Antti Arponen and Phil Reynolds
Based: UAE
Sector: financial services
Investment: $18.5 million
Employees: 150
Funding stage: series A, closed in 2021
Investors: venture capital companies, international funds, family offices, high-net-worth individuals
BOSH!'s pantry essentials
Nutritional yeast
This is Firth's pick and an ingredient he says, "gives you an instant cheesy flavour". He advises making your own cream cheese with it or simply using it to whip up a mac and cheese or wholesome lasagne. It's available in organic and specialist grocery stores across the UAE.
Seeds
"We've got a big jar of mixed seeds in our kitchen," Theasby explains. "That's what you use to make a bolognese or pie or salad: just grab a handful of seeds and sprinkle them over the top. It's a really good way to make sure you're getting your omegas."
Umami flavours
"I could say soya sauce, but I'll say all umami-makers and have them in the same batch," says Firth. He suggests having items such as Marmite, balsamic vinegar and other general, dark, umami-tasting products in your cupboard "to make your bolognese a little bit more 'umptious'".
Onions and garlic
"If you've got them, you can cook basically anything from that base," says Theasby. "These ingredients are so prevalent in every world cuisine and if you've got them in your cupboard, then you know you've got the foundation of a really nice meal."
Your grain of choice
Whether rice, quinoa, pasta or buckwheat, Firth advises always having a stock of your favourite grains in the cupboard. "That you, you have an instant meal and all you have to do is just chuck a bit of veg in."
Company Profile
Company name: Namara
Started: June 2022
Founder: Mohammed Alnamara
Based: Dubai
Sector: Microfinance
Current number of staff: 16
Investment stage: Series A
Investors: Family offices
UAE medallists at Asian Games 2023
Gold
Magomedomar Magomedomarov – Judo – Men’s +100kg
Khaled Al Shehi – Jiu-jitsu – Men’s -62kg
Faisal Al Ketbi – Jiu-jitsu – Men’s -85kg
Asma Al Hosani – Jiu-jitsu – Women’s -52kg
Shamma Al Kalbani – Jiu-jitsu – Women’s -63kg
Silver
Omar Al Marzooqi – Equestrian – Individual showjumping
Bishrelt Khorloodoi – Judo – Women’s -52kg
Khalid Al Blooshi – Jiu-jitsu – Men’s -62kg
Mohamed Al Suwaidi – Jiu-jitsu – Men’s -69kg
Balqees Abdulla – Jiu-jitsu – Women’s -48kg
Bronze
Hawraa Alajmi – Karate – Women’s kumite -50kg
Ahmed Al Mansoori – Cycling – Men’s omnium
Abdullah Al Marri – Equestrian – Individual showjumping
Team UAE – Equestrian – Team showjumping
Dzhafar Kostoev – Judo – Men’s -100kg
Narmandakh Bayanmunkh – Judo – Men’s -66kg
Grigorian Aram – Judo – Men’s -90kg
Mahdi Al Awlaqi – Jiu-jitsu – Men’s -77kg
Saeed Al Kubaisi – Jiu-jitsu – Men’s -85kg
Shamsa Al Ameri – Jiu-jitsu – Women’s -57kg
ASIAN RUGBY CHAMPIONSHIP 2024
Results
Hong Kong 52-5 UAE
South Korea 55-5 Malaysia
Malaysia 6-70 Hong Kong
UAE 36-32 South Korea
Fixtures
Friday, June 21, 7.30pm kick-off: UAE v Malaysia
At The Sevens, Dubai (admission is free).
Saturday: Hong Kong v South Korea
Another way to earn air miles
In addition to the Emirates and Etihad programmes, there is the Air Miles Middle East card, which offers members the ability to choose any airline, has no black-out dates and no restrictions on seat availability. Air Miles is linked up to HSBC credit cards and can also be earned through retail partners such as Spinneys, Sharaf DG and The Toy Store.
An Emirates Dubai-London round-trip ticket costs 180,000 miles on the Air Miles website. But customers earn these ‘miles’ at a much faster rate than airline miles. Adidas offers two air miles per Dh1 spent. Air Miles has partnerships with websites as well, so booking.com and agoda.com offer three miles per Dh1 spent.
“If you use your HSBC credit card when shopping at our partners, you are able to earn Air Miles twice which will mean you can get that flight reward faster and for less spend,” says Paul Lacey, the managing director for Europe, Middle East and India for Aimia, which owns and operates Air Miles Middle East.
If you go...
Fly from Dubai or Abu Dhabi to Chiang Mai in Thailand, via Bangkok, before taking a five-hour bus ride across the Laos border to Huay Xai. The land border crossing at Huay Xai is a well-trodden route, meaning entry is swift, though travellers should be aware of visa requirements for both countries.
Flights from Dubai start at Dh4,000 return with Emirates, while Etihad flights from Abu Dhabi start at Dh2,000. Local buses can be booked in Chiang Mai from around Dh50
The Emperor and the Elephant
Author: Sam Ottewill-Soulsby
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Pages: 392
Available: July 11
EMIRATES'S REVISED A350 DEPLOYMENT SCHEDULE
Edinburgh: November 4 (unchanged)
Bahrain: November 15 (from September 15); second daily service from January 1
Kuwait: November 15 (from September 16)
Mumbai: January 1 (from October 27)
Ahmedabad: January 1 (from October 27)
Colombo: January 2 (from January 1)
Muscat: March 1 (from December 1)
Lyon: March 1 (from December 1)
Bologna: March 1 (from December 1)
Source: Emirates
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
SPEC SHEET: NOTHING PHONE (2)
Display: 6.7” LPTO Amoled, 2412 x 1080, 394ppi, HDR10+, Corning Gorilla Glass
Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 2, octa-core; Adreno 730 GPU
Memory: 8/12GB
Capacity: 128/256/512GB
Platform: Android 13, Nothing OS 2
Main camera: Dual 50MP wide, f/1.9 + 50MP ultrawide, f/2.2; OIS, auto-focus
Main camera video: 4K @ 30/60fps, 1080p @ 30/60fps; live HDR, OIS
Front camera: 32MP wide, f/2.5, HDR
Front camera video: Full-HD @ 30fps
Battery: 4700mAh; full charge in 55m w/ 45w charger; Qi wireless, dual charging
Connectivity: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.3, NFC (Google Pay)
Biometrics: Fingerprint, face unlock
I/O: USB-C
Durability: IP54, limited protection
Cards: Dual-nano SIM
Colours: Dark grey, white
In the box: Nothing Phone (2), USB-C-to-USB-C cable
Price (UAE): Dh2,499 (12GB/256GB) / Dh2,799 (12GB/512GB)
Vikram Vedha
Directors: Gayatri, Pushkar
Stars: Hrithik Roshan, Saif Ali Khan, Radhika Apte
Rating: 3.5/5
Kill
Director: Nikhil Nagesh Bhat
Starring: Lakshya, Tanya Maniktala, Ashish Vidyarthi, Harsh Chhaya, Raghav Juyal
Rating: 4.5/5
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