Sultan: A true writer contests falsity with documented proof
SHARJAH RULER MEETS PUBLISHERS, AUTHORS AT FRANKFURT BOOK FAIR
Authors around the world have a responsibility towards their readers to offer in-depth and documented writing.
This message was highlighted by His Highness Dr Shaikh Sultan Bin Mohammad Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah, on the eve of the 70th anniversary of the world’s largest book fair — Frankfurter Buchmesse, or the 2018 Frankfurt Book Fair.
“An author’s works are a piece of their heart, their passion and human responsibility towards current and future generations of readers,” Dr Shaikh Sultan said.
He told a group of key international publishers and authors during a dinner at Literaturhaus Frankfurt that authors who responsibly engage in publishing facts and truth do justice to history, and contribute to the legacy of an inexhaustible pool of global knowledge.
Dr Shaikh Sultan noted that a true writer is burdened with the task of juxtaposing falsity against truth, contesting misleading knowledge with documented proof — not with authority or decisions.
He added that his quest for documented historical facts led him to international cultural centres and libraries around the world, where he had consulted rare manuscripts holding historians’ observations and analyses of facts.
It was then that he decided ■ to choose those over superficial interpretations of ‘facts’ because those “are fragile, vulnerable and do not — rather should not — fulfil the desires of true fact-seekers and dedicated writers.”
“Nothing compares to the happiness of an author upon finishing their manuscript, or of a historian when they succeed in solving the ambiguity of a historical phase,” he said.
Description of social life
At the dinner reception hosted by the Sharjah Book Authority (SBA), Shaikh Sultan signed his latest novel Baby Fatima and the King’s Sons, which tells the story of an ambitious woman who clings to the falling rule of kings under the Portuguese occupation of the Kingdom of Hormuz (also known as Ormus).
The novel offers a detailed description of social life in Hormuz, while not neglecting the military, political and economic situation prevailing at the time.
The book is a product of six weeks of relentless writing, with 35 reliable sources used as historical references.
“In spite of the fact that novels require arduous effort to write and finish, their creators are elated when they see that the final product is based on facts and experiences that every reader who picks up the book will be able to learn from and enjoy,” he said.
The novel features six parts. Through a smooth and exciting narrative, Shaikh Sultan addresses Baby Fatima’s eventful life and her relationship with the king and their children, particularly in the last two parts: Prince Toran Shah and Prince Mohammed Shah.