From blogs to book prizes: How a new generation is redefining Arabic literature

A new generation of readers is driving Arabic contemporary fiction – bringing fresh authors and literary styles to the forefront of the regional literary landscape.

This was one of the key points raised during Thursday’s panel at the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair – marking the launch of The National’s 50 Most Important Arabic Novels of the 21st Century.

The curated list was compiled in collaboration with the Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre, drawing on the expertise of more than 50 literary figures, including authors, publishers, academics, festival organisers, and prize jurors from across the Mena region.

At the session, prominent Egyptian author Mohamed Abu Al Fadl Badran, former secretary-general of Egypt’s Supreme Council of Culture, was joined by literary critic Haytham Al Haj Ali and Saeed Al Tunaiji, executive director of the Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre.

Together, they discussed how a growing youth literary culture, combined with the influence of major prizes, is reshaping what readers expect from Arab publishers. They pointed to novels featured in the list as examples of authors gaining prominence, as readers increasingly seek contemporary reflections of Arab society through blurred genres and innovative literary techniques.

“We have a large youth demographic that has imposed the names of new novelists,” Al Badran said. “And these novelists are brilliantly creative and strategic in combining poetry with love, logic with narration. That’s why they gained a large audience.”

Online platforms have also played a vital role in bringing new voices to the fore, said Al Haj Ali.

He pointed to novels such as 2005’s Girls of Riyadh by Rajaa Alsanea and 2006’s Wanna Be a Bride by Mona Al Shammari, both not on The National's list and which were originally serialised online before becoming regional bestsellers and securing foreign translations.

Popular Egyptian author Ahmed Mourad, whose psychological thriller The Blue Elephant features in The National’s list, also built a loyal readership through his interactive literary discussions on social media.

“That direct line of communication between writer and reader is something new,” he said. “It shows how a novel can begin in different ways, from a blog post to a series of tweets, before finding print success. This is reshaping the structure and style of the Arabic novel.

Regional literary prizes that focus on new works, which often lead to international translations, are also helping modern Arabic literature gain global recognition.

Two other novels from the list – The Bamboo Stalk by Kuwait's Saud Alsanousi, which won the International Prize for Arabic Fiction in 2013, and No Knives in the Kitchens of This City by late Syrian author Khaled Khalifa, winner of the Naguib Mahfouz Medal for Literature in 2013 – are examples.

“These prizes, like the Sheikh Zayed Book Award and the International Prize for Arabic Fiction, focus solely on the quality of the work, and as a result, they can bring a previously unknown novelist into global circulation,” Badran said.

“At the same time, for those who are already well known, they can serve as motivation to keep going. I remember when Naguib Mahfouz won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1988. At the time, only one of his novels – The Harafish – had been translated into German, and everyone rushed to read it. Mahfouz himself said that the award encouraged him to continue writing.”

While Arabic novels are being propelled by new platforms, the region’s literary criticism has yet to keep pace, according to Badran.

“We have excellent critics, but not schools of critical thought,” he said. “Each critic operates independently, without a collective vision – and that limits their ability to shape taste or create lasting influence.

“We often borrow Western theories and try to apply them to novels that are rooted in completely different cultural and social contexts. We need home-grown critical tools – tools that speak to our histories, our rhythms, our readers.”

Al Tunaiji, from the Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre, said the issue points to a broader challenge facing Arabic publishing – the absence of a fully developed professional ecosystem that can elevate the standards of both publishers and translators.

He cited the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair’s annual masterclasses in editing, translation, and publishing as examples of how the industry is working to close that gap. Such initiatives, he noted, are essential to keeping the Arabic novel vibrant, offering readers a fresh sense of what contemporary literature can achieve – rather than relying on the prestige of the past.

“We need to rethink what we offer and how,” he said. “The Arab reader gravitates towards specific topics, but it’s diversity that attracts them. And this is what all these various initiatives should offer – from book fairs to book compilations like we did with The National.

“It’s not just about sales, but about building bridges between East and West, between the older reader and the young. That’s what keeps literature alive.”

The Abu Dhabi International Book Fair is running at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre until May 5