page_title: Qatari literature
section_title: Novels
hierarchical_section_title: Qatari literature / History / Modern literature movement (1950–present) / Novels
caption_attribution_description: English: Dr Ali Khalifa Al-kuwari
context_page_description: Qatari literature traces its origins back to the 19th century. Originally, written poetry was the most common form of expression, but poetry later fell out of favor after Qatar began reaping the profits from oil exports in the mid-20th century and many Qataris abandoned their Bedouin traditions in favor of more urban lifestyles.
  Due to the increasing number of Qataris who began receiving formal education during the 1950s and other significant societal changes, the following years saw the introduction of short stories, and later, novels. Poetry, particularly the predominant nabati form, retained some importance but would soon be overshadowed by other literary types. Unlike most other forms of art in Qatari society, females have been involved in the modern literature movement on a similar magnitude to males.
context_section_description: Shu'a' Khalifa and her sister Dalal Khalifa were the first two Qatari novelists to publish their works. They accomplished this feat with the publishing of three separate novels in 1993: al-Ubur ila al-haqiqa (Passage to Truth), written by Shu'a' in 1987, Ahlam al-bahr al-qadima (The Old Dreams of the Sea), written by Shu'a' in 1990 and Usturat al-Insan wa-l-buhayra (The Myth of the Man and the Lake, written by Dalal. The sisters would go on to publish four more novels by 2000. Their novels center around social limitations faced by women, and scrutinize long-held social values. Another important theme in their novels is the rapid societal transition experienced by Qatar since the discovery of oil.
  Since the 2000s, most novels released have explored topics of social change, cultural alienation, and political issues through the perspectives of highly educated youth. These topics are expressed through fictitious autobiographies and personal crises. Some of novels in the 2000s with political motifs were Ahmed Abdul Malik's 2005 novel Ahdan al-manafi (The Embraces of Exile), his 2009 novel Fazi shahid al-islah fi al-Khalij (Fazi', the Martyr of Reform in the Gulf), and Jamal Fayiz's 2013 novel Mud Foam. Some novels with political themes deemed controversial have been banned by Qatar, such as a number of Ahmed Abdul Malik's books and Ali Khalifa Al-Kuwari's 2012 book The People Want Reform in Qatar Too.
  Abdulaziz Al-Mahmoud and Issa Abdullah were two pioneers of historical novels in Qatar. As a writer, Al Mahmoud's debut novel Al Qursan experienced commercial success after its release in August 2011. The novel was translated into English under the title The Corsair one year later and went on to become one of the best-selling books to be released by a Qatari author. Al Qursan's plot revolves around British politics and piracy in the Persian Gulf region during the 19th century, with the central figure being the Arab pirate Rahmah ibn Jabir al-Jalahimah. Abdullah's first historical novel was released in 2013 as Kanz Sāzīrān (Saziran's Treasure).
  Qatar launched the Katara Prize for Arabic Novel in September 2014 which has a $200,000 prize for the top fiction book. This competition was later incorporated under the authority of Katara Publishing House, established in 2018.
  By June 2015, twelve Qatari women and eight Qatari men had published a collective total of thirty-nine novels. Novels have proven to be one of the fastest growing categories of literature, with nearly a quarter of all existing Qatari-authored novels being published as recently as 2014. Six new female Qatari writers published novels in 2014: Hanan Al-Fayyad, Sumayya Tisha, Amala Al-Suwaidi, Shamma Al-Kuwari, Muhsina Rashid, and Iman Hamad. Similar to their predecessors, the main themes in their books are women's role in society and the social transition of Qatar.
caption: Qatari author Ali Khalifa Al-Kuwari's 2012 book The People Want Reform in Qatar, Too was banned in Qatar because of its critical views towards the emir.
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