The Book Club has gained popularity as a widely admired cultural program airing on Sharjah TV. Ahmad bin Rakkad Al Amri, Director of Sharjah International Book Fair, is the man behind this unique show. Ali Abdan, a prominent cultural and heritage researcher, and book critic Dr. Hussein Juma host the Book Club. During the discussion they touch upon content, narrative fiction, scenario, critical aspects of the novel and its characters.
This February, the show featured a critical dialogue of the novel “The Unusual Trip of Kheireddine bin Zard” by Ebrahim Zaaror. A 213 page novel that tells the story of a man who lives in his dreams and away from reality. The novel takes us through his tragedies, separation from his wife and how he was forced to leave his sons and move to a foreign land in search of a livelihood. Although he’s moved on to a new life, he is unable to forget the past and that comes to haunt his present life.
Furthermore, the novel presents the character of its main protagonist Kheireddine bin Zard as a person who lives in his painful past and refuses to move on to happiness even when radical positive changes have taken place in the present. The writing is fascinating and fresh with a generous helping of dark humour to support the storyline.
Kheireddine bin Zard Al Ajeeba takes the reader through various stages. An interesting style of storytelling separates this book from the stereotypes. This work of Ebrahim Zaaror could very well find itself in the nomination list for the next Booker Prize in the Arabic novel category.
A contemporary Arab novelist, Ebrahim Zaaror began his career with poetry and then moved on to short stories. Today he has over 70 acclaimed works of literature including “The Last Black Birds”, “I Told You”, “Extremely Narrow Space”, “Scenes of the Returning Person” and “The Street Who Left”. The Windy Shepherd is one of his most prominent works that gained critical acclaim.
The Book Club has featured some of the brightest literary talent, intellectuals, thinkers, novelists and critiques. The program has served as a fitting platform for lovers of distinctive cultural literature. Apart from the cultural facets, the show also discusses various novels and its narrations, complementing the Sharjah Book Fair’s initiative to try and enrich the public with Arab treasures of knowledge and touch upon contemporary Arab culture.
The following episode will be presented by Mohammed Al Suwaidi, coordinated by Faisal Abdulhadi, formulated by Najm al-Din Hashem and directed by Ahmad Al Nazwani. The Book Club will be broadcasted on Sharjah TV every Friday at 9:30pm.
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