<i>Welcome to the latest edition of The Arts Edit, the weekly newsletter from The National's Abu Dhabi newsroom rounding up this week's most noteworthy arts and culture stories.</i> <b>IN FOCUS</b> With input from more than 50 of the most important figures on Mena's literary landscape, <i>The National</i> has chosen the 50 most important Arabic novels of the 20th century. The 20th century transformed the Arab world, and with it, Arabic literature. Empires fell, colonisers withdrew and independent states arose, and within the twisting borders of those redrawn maps, the modern Arabic novel was born. From Algeria to Yemen, authors propelled by the new political, social and philosophical currents coursing through the region produced bold and startling pieces of work, with many in societies only just beginning to find their own voice. It was a search for identity, a fight against injustice. Together, those works help define what it means to be Arab in the world we live in today. It was also a time when Egypt, Syria and Lebanon cemented their standing as pillars of the Arab world’s literary scene, with world-famous authors producing totemic works still viewed as exemplars of the historical dynamism and creativity of the region. Working alongside the Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre, and with the input of dozens of authors, publishers, experts, festival purveyors and prize jurors from across Mena – such as the Sheikh Zayed Book Award and the International Prize for Arabic Fiction – we compiled our comprehensive project. Presented in alphabetical order, according to countries making up the Arab League, our list only scratches the surface of the myriad brilliant works produced across the region in that 100-year span. We hope it acts as a conversation-starter, a reference point for a literary landscape rich in meaning and wonder, and a potential pathway to understanding the soul of the Middle East and North Africa. <i>The National'</i>s Saeed Saeed formally launched the list in a session at the <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/arts-culture/music-stage/2024/10/18/arabic-literature-translations-europe/" target="_blank">Frankfurt International Book Fair on Thursday</a>. The session featured a number of prominent voices from the global literary scene on the importance of the time period for Arabic literature, and why publishers across the world still have yet to fully embrace its strengths. Find the full list <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/arts-culture/books/2024/10/16/arabic-novels-fifty-most-important-20th-century/" target="_blank">here</a>. The fermentation process is as much about rebirth as reinvention, writes Saeed Saeed. Take the much-loved Palestinian and Levantine staple <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/lifestyle/food/ramadan-recipe-fattet-al-makdous-stuffed-aubergine-in-tomato-and-yoghurt-tahini-sauce-1.1215054" target="_blank">makdous</a>, for example. It starts with a small aubergine, salted to remove its bitterness. The flesh gradually softens, allowing it to be stuffed with walnuts, garlic and chilli, then packed into a jar and submerged in olive oil. Over several weeks, the once raw and firm aubergine becomes tender and its former bitterness gives way to a new profile of funky and fiery flavours. This process may be informed by science but it is deeply rooted in culture and heritage. Ancient civilisations, from the Chinese to the Egyptians, documented their fermentation methods centuries ago. In light of <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/news/mena/2024/10/07/israel-gaza-war-children/" target="_blank">Palestine</a>’s continuing struggle for self-determination, maintaining these techniques has become an urgent matter of cultural survival. This mindset infuses the work of the Palestinian artist Mirna Bamieh in<a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/arts-culture/2024/02/28/art-dubai-2024-contemporary/" target="_blank"> her exhibition Sour Things</a>. The mixed media show, which blends ceramics, drawings, text and video, highlights her homeland’s rich food fermentation and preservation techniques, which are responsible for dishes such as makdous. In doing so, it draws unsettling parallels between nature’s ability to regenerate and the self-destructive tendencies of humankind. Unveiled first at <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/arts-culture/art-design/2024/05/16/sheikha-hoor-al-qasimi-biennale-sydney/" target="_blank">Sharjah Biennial</a>, Sour Things is now running at Nika Project Space in Paris, the first international outpost of the Dubai gallery. Find Saeed's conversation with Bamieh <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/arts-culture/art-design/2024/10/20/mirna-bamieh-palestinian-artist-paris/" target="_blank">here</a>. <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/arts-culture/film/naomi-scott-wants-aladdin-song-to-be-played-at-dubai-fountain-1.865301" target="_blank">Naomi Scott</a> had no idea what she was in for. It was several years after her breakout performance as Jasmine in <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/arts-culture/film/aladdin-star-naomi-scott-says-princess-jasmine-is-a-politician-1.874453" target="_blank">2019’s <i>Aladdin</i></a><i> </i>and she had just received a script from director Parker Finn about a new character he had created – a tortured pop star named Skye Riley. Skye’s journey was harrowing, Scott soon discovered – a woman haunted by an unknown entity that only she could see. And while she was perhaps the most famous person in the world, from the first page to the last, there was no one on Earth more alone. “Parker told me he wanted to take a big swing, but he didn’t tell me what it was. It wasn’t until after the fact that I realised – oh, this is the second <i>Smile</i> movie,” Scott tells <i>The National</i>. That was reason enough to be excited. <i>Smile</i>, Finn’s 2022 directorial debut, was a viral sensation. Praised by critics and audiences alike, the film became one of the 50 highest-grossing horror films of all time on a modest budget, cementing Finn as one of the genre’s leading contemporary figures overnight. But Finn knew he couldn’t repeat that success without the right star. Unlike most horror franchises, which rely on a recognisable villain and interchangeable heroes, <i>Smile</i> films are character studies. They’re explorations of trauma and the way that those in pain pass their pain on to others. Find more <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/arts-culture/film-tv/2024/10/16/smile-2-naomi-scott-parker-finn/" target="_blank">here</a>. <b>DATES FOR YOUR DIARY</b> · Sugababes at Dubai 7s – November 30 · The Corrs at Coca-Cola Arena, Dubai – February 6 · Christina Aguilera at Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi – February 15 <b>OTHER HIGHLIGHTS</b>