Literature of Bahrain
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The literature of
Bahrain Bahrain ( ; ; ar, البحرين, al-Bahrayn, locally ), officially the Kingdom of Bahrain, ' is an island country in Western Asia. It is situated on the Persian Gulf, and comprises a small archipelago made up of 50 natural islands and an ...
has a strong tradition in the country. Most traditional writers and poets write in the
classical Arabic Classical Arabic ( ar, links=no, ٱلْعَرَبِيَّةُ ٱلْفُصْحَىٰ, al-ʿarabīyah al-fuṣḥā) or Quranic Arabic is the standardized literary form of Arabic used from the 7th century and throughout the Middle Ages, most notab ...
style, contemporary poets that write in this style include Ali al-Sharqawi,
Qassim Haddad Qassim Haddad (born 1948) is a Bahraini poet, particularly notable within the Arab world for his free verse poetry. His poems have been translated in several languages including German, English and French. Biography Qassim Haddad was born in Bah ...
,
Ebrahim Al-Arrayedh Ebrahim Al-Arrayedh ( ar, إبراهيم العريّض, born 8 March 1908 – died May 2002) was a Bahraini writer and poet, generally considered to be one of Bahrain's greatest poets and one of the leaders of the Bahraini literary movement in ...
, and Ahmad Muhammed Al Khalifa. In recent years, the number of younger poets influenced by
western literature Western literature, also known as European literature, is the literature written in the context of Western culture in the languages of Europe, as well as several geographically or historically related languages such as Basque and Hungarian, an ...
are rising, most writing in free verse or
prose poetry Prose poetry is poetry written in prose form instead of verse form, while preserving poetic qualities such as heightened imagery, parataxis, and emotional effects. Characteristics Prose poetry is written as prose, without the line breaks associ ...
, and often including political or personal content. Almost all publications of poetry in the country are in
Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic languages, Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C ...
, with poetry rarely published in English without requiring prior translation. Ali al-Sharqawi, a decorated longtime poet, is considered by many to be the literary icon of Bahrain. The country's local writing society, the
Bahrain Writers Association The Bahrain Writers Association ( ar, أسرة الأدباء والكتاب في البحرين) is a Bahraini professional association for writers. It was established in 1969 and is headquartered in the Zinj neighborhood of Manama. Committed t ...
, was founded in 1969.


History

In August 2004, the
supernatural thriller Thriller film, also known as suspense film or suspense thriller, is a broad film genre that evokes excitement and suspense in the audience. The suspense element found in most films' plots is particularly exploited by the filmmaker in this genre ...
book ''QuixotiQ'', by former Bahraini journalist Ali Al-Saeed, was published, marking the first time ever a Bahraini author has published a novel directly in English without requiring a translation. In February 2011, Bahraini writers, artists and intellectuals signed a statement declaring their solidarity with the Egyptian revolutionary movement.


Female writers

Poetry was the principal form of literature Bahraini women engaged in during the 20th century. In fact, it was estimated that one-sixth of all Bahraini poets between 1925 and 1985 were women. Prominent female writers at the time included the likes of Iman Asiri, Fatima al-Taytun, Fathiya 'Ajlan, Hamda Khamis and Fawziyya al-Sindi. In the second half of the 20th century, prose as well as free verse poetry gained popularity in the country, especially amongst women. However, it was only until 1969 did women finally emerge on the free verse and prose scene, with the publication of ''Shazaya'' ( ar, شظايا, meaning "shrapnel") by Hamda Khamis, which was coincidentally Khamis' first experience in poetry. Iman Asiri was the first recorded poet to write and publish a
prose poem Prose poetry is poetry written in prose form instead of verse form, while preserving poetic qualities such as heightened imagery, parataxis, and emotional effects. Characteristics Prose poetry is written as prose, without the line breaks associat ...
in the country in the late 1960s.


Bahrain in literature

Bahrain was the site of the ancient land of
Dilmun Dilmun, or Telmun, ( Sumerian: , later 𒉌𒌇(𒆠), ni.tukki = DILMUNki; ar, دلمون) was an ancient East Semitic-speaking civilization in Eastern Arabia mentioned from the 3rd millennium BC onwards. Based on contextual evidence, it was l ...
, which was mentioned in ancient text,
Epic of Gilgamesh The ''Epic of Gilgamesh'' () is an epic poetry, epic poem from ancient Mesopotamia, and is regarded as the earliest surviving notable literature and the second oldest religious text, after the Pyramid Texts. The literary history of Gilgamesh ...
. Legend also states that it was the location of the
Garden of Eden In Abrahamic religions, the Garden of Eden ( he, גַּן־עֵדֶן, ) or Garden of God (, and גַן־אֱלֹהִים ''gan-Elohim''), also called the Terrestrial Paradise, is the Bible, biblical paradise described in Book of Genesis, Genes ...
. Bahrain has a setting in
James Joyce James Augustine Aloysius Joyce (2 February 1882 – 13 January 1941) was an Irish novelist, poet, and literary critic. He contributed to the modernist avant-garde movement and is regarded as one of the most influential and important writers of ...
's '' Finnegans Wake''.
Lucy Caldwell Lucy Caldwell (born 1981) is a Northern Irish playwright and novelist. She was the winner of the 2021 BBC National Short Story Award. Biography Born in Belfast in 1981 in what she later described as into one of the darkest and most turbulent y ...
's award-winning novel, ''The Meeting Point'', is also set in Bahrain.


Writers

*Ali Abdullah Khalifa – a founding member of the Union of Bahraini Writers and has released 3 collections of poetry. * Ali Al Jallawi – political poet and writer. *Ali al-Saeed – author of 3 national best-selling, critically acclaimed books and the recipient of the Bahraini Outstanding Book of the Year Award. *
Ali Al Shargawi Ali Al Shargawi ( ar, علي الشرقاوي) is a leading Bahraini poet, lyricist and playwright whose work has been translated into English, German, Bulgarian, Russian, Kurdish, and French. Born in Manama in 1948, he started publishing his po ...
– veteran poet and author, with his poetry translated into several languages. *Ahmad Muhammed Al Khalifa – born in 1930, he has written poetry about nationalism and romance, with a total of five collections of poetry published. * Attiya al-Jamri - Famous for his religious poetry about Imam Hussain during
Muharram Muḥarram ( ar, ٱلْمُحَرَّم) (fully known as Muharram ul Haram) is the first month of the Islamic calendar. It is one of the four sacred months of the year when warfare is forbidden. It is held to be the second holiest month after R ...
. *
Ebrahim Al-Arrayedh Ebrahim Al-Arrayedh ( ar, إبراهيم العريّض, born 8 March 1908 – died May 2002) was a Bahraini writer and poet, generally considered to be one of Bahrain's greatest poets and one of the leaders of the Bahraini literary movement in ...
– Dubbed as one of Bahrain's greatest poets, with his poetry being popular throughout the
Arab world The Arab world ( ar, اَلْعَالَمُ الْعَرَبِيُّ '), formally the Arab homeland ( '), also known as the Arab nation ( '), the Arabsphere, or the Arab states, refers to a vast group of countries, mainly located in Western A ...
. *Ebrahim bin Mohammed Al Khalifa – born in the middle of the 19th century, he was a well-known poet in early 20th century Bahrain and was commended by
Charles Belgrave Sir Charles Dalrymple Belgrave KBE (9 December 1894 – 28 February 1969) was a British citizen and advisor to the rulers of Bahrain from 1926 until 1957, as "Chief Administrator" or "adviserate". He first served under Shaikh Hamad ibn Isa Al Kha ...
during his tenure in the country. His
majlis ( ar, المجلس, pl. ') is an Arabic term meaning "sitting room", used to describe various types of special gatherings among common interest groups of administrative, social or religious nature in countries with linguistic or cultural conne ...
in Muharraq is currently used as a centre for culture and research. * Hamda Khamis - Widely recognised as the first female Bahraini poet, having published her first collection in 1969. *
Qassim Haddad Qassim Haddad (born 1948) is a Bahraini poet, particularly notable within the Arab world for his free verse poetry. His poems have been translated in several languages including German, English and French. Biography Qassim Haddad was born in Bah ...
– he is the head of the Union of Bahraini Writers and one of the most famous poets of Bahrain. He rose to prominence for his revolutionary poetry. *M.G. Darwish - An award nominated novelist who writes fantasy pulp novels and series.


See also

*
Bahrain Writers Association The Bahrain Writers Association ( ar, أسرة الأدباء والكتاب في البحرين) is a Bahraini professional association for writers. It was established in 1969 and is headquartered in the Zinj neighborhood of Manama. Committed t ...
* Bahraini art *
Theatre of Bahrain The theatre of Bahrain in its present form originated in the early 20th century, after the introduction of formal education in the country. Though shadow plays and puppet shows were previously widespread in Bahrain, European-style drama plays wer ...
*
Cinema of Bahrain The cinema of Bahrain is small as its lacks support from the government and the private sector. There are many short films produced by individual filmmakers, and about five feature films in Bahrain's history. There are a number of theaters in Ba ...
* Culture of Bahrain


References

{{Asian topic, , literature Bahraini literature