Veteran Emirati author Habib Al Sayegh returns with his latest work Woman – a title he says defies any one genre.
“The book is not a novel or poem, it talks about women and love, the relationship between a man and a woman,” he says. “The book includes fantasy and art. I didn’t set a category for the book; rather this time, I prefer the reader to label it.”
Al Sayegh is a fixture of the local literary scene. As well as being the chairman of the Emirates Writers Union, he has been writing since the late 1960s, with key publications being his collections Poems to Beirut (1980), Tomorrow (1995) and 2012's simply titled Collection of Poems.
He was crowned that same year in the Sharjah International Book Fair as the Cultural Personality of the Year. In this year’s edition he returns to discuss the role of the writer and the value of positive ideas. The best way to tackle this issue, as he puts it, is for writers to create better content no matter the genre.
“I doubt if there are many people unaware of what is going on in the world, considering we’re living in a highly technological age,” he says. “Children should be exposed to the right channel from a young age to save them from the destructive ideas in the long run.”
He credits the Sharjah book fair and launch of new children's channel, Majid TV – owned by Abu Dhabi Media, which also publishes The National – as an example of avenues for children to be exposed to positive messages about their values and culture. However, he cautions that local writers need to better promote their work beyond the country's borders.
“Book fairs such as Sharjah are an opportunity to showcase our talents.” he says. “While some people are busy preparing to display their latest book in different exhibitions, people should also be concerned about sharing their talents and skills internationally. This way people get to read about us, too.”
• Habib Al Sayegh appears Wednesday November 4 at the panel Writing and Facing The Current Situation at The Literature Forum at 7.15pm
aalhameli@thenational.ae
