Saudi poet, literary editor Ahmed Al-Ali discusses career ahead of Emirates Literature Fest 2023
DUBAI: Saudi poet, translator and literary editor Ahmed Al-Ali has worn many hats during his career, but the Dubai-based author – set to speak on a panel at the upcoming Emirates Airline Festival of Literature – began as a software Engineer.
“I was not satisfied being a software engineer who does not have time to read books before sleeping. ‘There are people who study all day and they get paid to do so,’ I told myself. By that time, I was aware of the literary scene in the Arab world, had written two poetry collections, translated three titles into Arabic, and had my articles published in newspapers and edited several books. I taught myself everything I needed,” he told Arab News.
“Then, in 2012, I resigned from my job, applied for a scholarship, and flew to New York City without any clue that I would be studying publishing. I just went there to get a chance to be in the center of the world and do something with my life.
Al-Ali – along with children’s publisher and author Amal Farah and poet and writer Qasim Saudi – will be speaking on the panel “How to Market Your Book” at the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature on 3 February at 4pm. On the subject, it would be fair to assume that al-Ali would advocate for writers to write and write well, and nothing else.
When asked whether authors should really be concerned about the marketing side of the publishing business, Al-Ali said: “The marketing of books is a tool booksellers and book outlets use to market the ‘products’ they offer. does to sell, which is neither the job of the publishing house nor the author. Publishers must market and brand their authors. Why do you think a planner that features quotes from Margaret Atwood , will sell more than some of her titles? Authors need to learn that writing good books and taking care of their public image is all they can and should do.”
Currently working as managing editor at Sharjah’s Kalimat Group and its fiction imprint, Al-Ali introduces the Arab world to international writers such as James Baldwin, Raymond Carver, Julian Barnes, Ian McEwan, Margaret Atwood, John Ashbery, Ali Smith responsible for familiarization. Michael Ondaatje, John Bainville and Claire Messud.
He has also personally translated many English novels. “Paul Auster’s ‘The Invention of Solitude’ is very close to my heart as I was discovering NYC in real life and also through this author’s literature,” she said when asked to choose a favorite. asked for.
But al-Ali is perhaps best known for his poetry collections. Poetry is, for al-Ali, the most appropriate medium for “seeking the truth” about the world.
“I have tried to throw light on one subject in each of my books. My ‘Facing Skype’ book explores your real personality in real social life versus being an avatar in social media. ‘The Drifter’s Guide to NYC’ is about the city’s known and hidden gems written in prose poetry. ‘Lavender, Hotel California’ claims that this life is a ‘hotel’ and tests this claim through a variety of poems,” Al-Ali said.
The author’s current work-in-progress, a project about oil-hunting in the area, is “a work of poetry, research, translation and editing; It is the epitome of all that I can do.
But, surprisingly, the poet inside Al-Ali is appalled by the current state of the literary world.
“My generation and youth are caught in the web of competition and awards; They are not looking for anything real. If you don’t realize that a lot of effort is being made to program people, and that we are in a matrix and you have to break out of it, then what do you, as a poet, know? They said.