Following the release of his latest novel, The Carnation Seller, and his preparation to share his novel in a European cultural meeting in Brussels, researcher and novelist Abdulaziz al-Buhashim al-Sayed emphasised in comments to Arabic daily Arrayah that the novel represents the soft power that preserves society’s memory and conveys its history and heritage into contemporary language.
He explained that the shift from historical documentation to narrative fiction allows for the presentation of events in a literary language capable of reaching the reader’s conscience.
He pointed out that The Carnation Seller in particular documents an important phase in the history of Gulf trade and its transformation from pearls to oil, through real-life characters and events reframed in artistic language.
Al-Sayed said: “When you work in the field of heritage and history, you rely on real facts and accurate figures, but when you turn to fiction, you transfer this history to the world of imagination and narrative. I believe that our Arab history and heritage require the language of the times, and the novel is the language capable of conveying our values and history to new generations. It represents a soft power that can be transformed into drama and remain in the memory of society and the future.
He explained: “In The Carnation Seller, I addressed the period of 1931 AD, documenting the lives of Gulf families living in India and the shift in trade in the Gulf from pearls to oil. I tried to embody this phase through a symbolic character, but one with a historical origin. I even used characters by their real names, reflecting the sentiment of Qatari society and its merchants.”
On his participation with his new novel The Carnation Seller in a European cultural meeting in Brussels, al-Sayed emphasised that his novel was chosen to represent Qatari literature at this event because it is the first work to document a complete commercial phase in Gulf history. “Through it, I sought to highlight authentic Arab and Gulf values and portray the image of Qatar as a country that combines heritage and modernity. This cultural presence also reflects Qatar’s growing role in the field of soft power, through literature and thought.”
He added: “The novel conveys many values, including patience, perseverance, and honesty in business. My hero is a fifteen-year-old boy who learns from leading merchants and embarks on adventures until he becomes one of the most prominent merchants in the Gulf. I wanted to document a real historical era through a dramatic journey. These locations were active trading centres connecting the Gulf to the world. Travelling between these cities was not merely a spatial scene; it documented the trade activity and the economic and social transformations experienced by the Gulf people during that period. A novel can easily be transformed into a dramatic work, as it combines history, drama, and human emotion.”
Concerning his view on the literary and novel scene in Qatar today, al-Sayed stated: “The scene is clearly growing. There is an active literary movement supported by institutions like Katara and the Ministry of Culture, and I have been struck by the diversity of new novelists’ voices. Young Qataris possess a distinct mindset and a fresh approach, and Qatari publishing houses provide significant support to new talents, whether through awards or publishing facilities. The Katara Prize for the Arabic Novel is a vivid example of this support. There are also many initiatives to encourage young people,” al-Sayed concluded.
Abdulaziz al-Sayed