Emirati writer Faisal Al Suwaidi on UAE beyond the skyscrapers

UAE isn’t just about the world records, steel-and-glass titans jutting into the sky, and a dining scene that’s firmly placed it on the culinary map of the word, believes Emirati writer and traveller Faisal Al Suwaidi. He was addressing an audience at the 44th Sharjah International Book Fair about looking past the obvious and focusing instead on the smaller towns and villages that have shaped its identity.

At the session organised by Sharjah Public Libraries, he also talked about his book, The Village Above Which Angels Flew, in which he explores the often overlooked, but defining features of the country. During his session he also described travel not as leisure but as a cultural act, explaining that he visited villages in several countries to ground his fictional setting in real experience.

 “I travel in search of the rare and distinct… for books, libraries, people, and languages,” Al Suwaidi said. “A writer must live the experience before writing it.”

The prolific writer also talked of “reading as therapy” and encouraged others to cultivate the habit.  For those on their first steps, his advice was direct: “Reading should begin with enjoyment, not intimidation of the written word.”

He also stressed the importance of a writer’s reading habits. “I am the sum of everything I’ve read since I was young; once reading takes root, it becomes a life path,” he said.