Saudi boy aged 12 makes debut as author

Cairo: A Saudi boy aged 12 has generated a stir at the ongoing Riyadh International Book Fair after the publication of his first novel.

Abdallah Ali, billed the youngest Saudi novelist, has attracted the fair-goers with his book. Some 1,000 copies of his novel “Are You Still Sorry” have been sold at the fair that opened Thursday at the Riyadh-based King Saud University. He signed some of the copies for the visitors.

Abdallah said he started writing the story, a blend of imagination and reality, when he was 10. He explained that the novel tells the story of an orphan child who is shocked by the fall of his older sister from the top of a mountain near their village.

The child initially believes his sister has died, but he receives a message that she is still alive, and that another man is kidnapping her in a world parallel to theirs. The child tries to move between worlds to save his sister and take revenge on the abductor. The author told Saudi news portal Sabq that his novel is based on a true story.

He began penning written and audio drafts of his novel in 2020 and finished writing it in 2024. Abdallah said he had presented it to a publishing house which agreed to publish it.

“The ending of the novel is open, as the hero of the novel did not find his sister,” Abdallah said. He plans other parts of the novel, perhaps up to three. He is preparing to start writing the second part soon.

The current edition of the Riyadh International Book Fair, Saudi Arabia’s biggest, has drawn the participation of more than 2,000 publishing houses from 30 countries.

Qatar is the guest honour of the latest edition of the event, which runs through October 5.

The fair is considered one of the Arab world’s most prominent cultural events due to its large number of visitors, diversity of its cultural programme and large participation of regional and foreign publishing houses.