Kuwait mourns iconic Arab novelist
Kuwait is mourning Esmail Fahd Esmail, one of its finest and most prolific novelists, who passed away on Tuesday age 78.
The iconic literary figure died less than 24 hours after taking part in a cultural forum that discussed his novel Another Black Box.
His novels highlighted the positive and negative aspects of the lives of Arabs as they faced historic, political and social challenges.
Esmail published a book of short stories The Dark Spot in 1965, but it was his first novel The Sky Was Blue in 1970 that made the real breakthrough in his career.
“His death is a painful loss to the Kuwaiti and to the Gulf cultural scene,” Kuwait’s Information Minister and Chair of the National Council for Culture, Arts and Literature (NCCAL) Mohammad Al Jabri said in his eulogy.
In a statement, the NCCAL paid homage to Esmail, saying his work and legacy would benefit several generations of Kuwaiti writers and novelists.