Young Emirati shines with first novel in English
AL HOSANI SAYS HE PENNED THE FIRST VERSION OF HIS BOOK IN HIGH SCHOOL
AOur education sector — including the public system — has evolved so much. The UAE leadership has really prioritised Emirati youth and considers their minds and their ideas to be the real assets,”
Ali Al Hosani | Emirati author
li Al Hosani writes as a hobby. Yet, his first novel rose to become a Kindle best-seller in August 2020. A work of fantasy fiction in English, it also garnered high praise from a UAE minister — Noura Al Kaabi, UAE Minister for Culture and Youth — who called it “spectacular”.
Now the 29-year-old author says soon, there will likely be many more prominent Emiratis in the world of English prose and fiction.
“Our education sector — including the public system — has evolved so much. The UAE leadership has really prioritised Emirati youth and considers their minds and their ideas to be the real assets. There is tremendous focus on creativity and innovation. Therefore, we should expect to see more and more budding young Emirati authors,” Al Hosani told Gulf News.
First novel
Himself a graduate of the UAE’s public school system, Al Hosani loves to read and share his knowledge with others. That is why his novel — The Guardians of Erum and the Children of Socotra — offers a journey into the world of pre-Islamic Arabian folklore and mythology, while also being fast-paced and riveting. Al Hosani first self-published the novel in June 2020, having spent two years getting its 128,000 words on the page.
“Everyone reads to their own taste and I believe writing is best when it echoes a person’s taste. I have always had a passion for ancient stories, like Lord of the Rings ,andIamavoracious reader of Dan Brown’s books,” the author said.
“I feel people today have less time for long-drawn narratives, so I’ve opted for a happening story,” he added.
Why write in English?
Asked why he chose to write in English, Al Hosani said it is simply the language in which he reads for leisure. “I must also add that it was a high schoolteacher. Mr James Potter, who inspired me to write.
“I wrote the story for readers of English fiction and I wanted to educate them about the rich mythology of the region. It really
is quite different and often quite unexplored. Of course, the audience I had chosen influenced much of the writing: I had to explain Arabic words that I included in the narrative. For example, it was essential to explain that an ‘areesh’ is a hut made of palm fronds. This is common knowledge for Arab readers, but can be unknown to English readers,” the author explained.
Al Hosani had penned the first version of his novel in high school. But the final edition was quite a departure from that initial work: As he rewrote it, he changed character journeys and infused Arabian authenticity.
Recognition
The novel was a self-published work on Amazon because Al Hosani wanted to get it out there quickly and without having to tailor his work for publishing agents to believe it would sell. Interested readers can also order printed copies through online bookseller Book Depository.
The novelist has also requested reviews from international authors for his debut work. He felt very encouraged when one reviewer said American authors should learn from Al Hosani’s “style of using background and history to make the work his own”.
It went on to win the 2020 Foreword Reviews award for Indie writers, announced in June 2021. So far, 532 e-books have been bought, as well as 131 in paperback. Another 250 paperbacks have been distributed by friends and family to others. Al Hosani has already spent quite a bit promoting his work, but said he may try finding an agent to get his work to a publishing house.