26 September 2018
H.E Shaikha Mai Mourns the Loss of The father of Kuwaiti literature, H.E: the region has lost one of the greatest figure of Arabic literature
Kuwait and the GCC region have lost the great novelist Ismail Fahd Ismail, acclaimed as the finest and most creative writer in the history of Kuwait and Arab world, on Tuesday morning 24 September 2018. H.E paid tribute to the deceased saying “ Writer and novelist, Ismael Fahd Ismael, has left this world and the cultural scene, but his great works will live forever in our hearts”. H.E added “ The Deceased was one of the most prominent literary luminaries,; the only real comfort is that these poets, novelists, and masters of the short story have produced work that will stay with us for many years to come, and so instead of grief, we can feel thankful for the lives they lived and the literature they left us. Here, we say a final goodbye to him and to some of the great writers we lost in this year”.
Kuwait’s Writers Associations mourned the loss of Ismail Ismail Fahd Ismail was one of the foundational figures in the development of the twentieth-century Kuwaiti novel, sometimes called “the father of the Kuwaiti novel,” he also continued to innovate and to speak out against censorship up until his death. As Kuwaiti novelist Laila Othman said at an event in 2014, “Ismail’s novels have substantially added to the Arab cultural heritage” as he “tackles sensitive issues” with artistic sensitivity.
Ismail’s most recent novel, Al-Sabiliat, was shortlisted for the 2017 International Prize for Arabic Fiction (IPAF), and is being translated by IPAF judge Sophia Vasalou, who said she “left her heart” with the book. It’s set to be published by Interlink. Ismail had also been long listed for the IPAF in 2014 for his important novel The Phoenix and the Faithful Friend, which centered around Kuwait’s stateless people.
Ismail was born in the village of al-Sabiliat near Basra, Iraq, in 1940, and grew up between Kuwait and Iraq. He studied theatre, and began writing short stories in the 1960s, publishing his first collection, The Dark Patch, in 1965.
His first novel, The Sky was Blue, appeared in 1970, and he went on to publish twenty-six more, as well as two more short-story collections, two plays, and several critical studies. Just as importantly, he also supported younger writers, and his support for new creative talent was widely felt.
Ismail received a number of literary awards, including the State Encouragement Award in the novel in 1989, and the 2014-15 Sultan Bin Ali Al Owais Cultural Award.
