Organised by the Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre (ALC), Al Dhafra Book Festival 2023 hosted the winners of the ‘Short Story for Unpublished Stories’ category of the Sard Al Thahab Award in a special interview as part of an event titled ‘Short Story by Sard Al Thahab’ at the Public Park in Zayed City, where the winners talked about their experience with the audience.
Moderated by Egyptian poet, author, and playwright Walid Alaa Eldin, the session brought together Moroccan authors Abdelrahim Selili and Huda Al Shamashi, along with Egyptian authors Mahmoud Saeed Mohamed and Rania Ahmed Helal Kamel.
Referencing his story ‘Zilzal’ (Earthquake), Abdelrahim Selili said, ‘The story was inspired by pain. It addressed the theme of the earthquake that struck Morocco and the devastation it wrought, unfolding in 11 paragraphs that reveal the emotions associated with the disaster, focusing on the character of the grandmother who instructs the narrator to wake her up for Fajr prayer, but her wish goes unfulfilled.’
For
his part, Mahmoud Saeed Mohamed emphasised the significance of the short story in our present time, stating that it the format best suited for this era and the one that resonates with it the most. He discussed his work ‘Ibn Aarous: Almataha wal-Khalas’ (Ibn Aarous: The Maze and the Salvation), focusing on the character of Ibn Aarous. ‘He began his life as a bandit who disrupts caravans, kidnaps, and steals, before he changed course and transformed from a devil to an angel,’ he explained, elaborating on his intricate plot, where the author sought to send a message that every person has their redemption.
Having won the award for her story ‘Ma Bayn Shiqqay Raha’ (Between Two Millstones), author Rania Ahmed Helal Kamel said that her story revolves around the old mill that was once an integral part of village life. The mother character in the story considered the mill to be the most important thing in existence, constantly insisting on its return whenever someone borrowed it, only for the mill to eventually succu
mb to decay. The author explained that her study of history and love for heritage enabled her to use this traditional device as a means to describe the village’s atmosphere and construct her world.
Last but not least, author Huda Al Shamashi said: ‘Writing, for me, is like screaming – a way of expressing our feelings about events that concern us.’ She added that her winning story, ‘Marthiyat al-‘Itr wal-Bahr’ (Elegy of Fragrance and the Sea) beautifully combines the expulsion from Al Andalus in the past with the clandestine migration to Spain in the present. The story unfolds as a boat carrying dozens of people, including children, sinks.
The Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre introduced the Sard Al Thahab Award to honour local and Arab storytellers and narrators of literature and folktales, shedding light on their most notable works that have made an indelible mark on the Emirati, Arab, and international cultural landscape.
Source: Emirates News Agency