Ahwal Al-Ma'rifa – Special

The Saudi cultural scene has witnessed an active narrative movement in recent months, representing a new stage in the Kingdom's literary and narrative life. Its creative works are being led by short-story writers, novelists, and authors from different generations. The movement focuses on the novel, short story, and various forms of narrative writing, while seeking to open new narrative fields and spaces for male and female writers.

Against the backdrop of this dynamic awareness that those involved in the Kingdom's narrative scene aspire to achieve, the NALA Association for Literature and Narrative Arts will organize the first edition of the NALA Narrative Forum, which will be held in the capital, Riyadh, from September 9 to 10, 2026, with the participation of a number of academics, critics, and short-story writers from the Kingdom and the Arab world.

The forum will address four main themes: social and cultural transformations in the short story; prominent and recurring themes in the short story; narrating the city in the contemporary short story; and the artistic characteristics of the contemporary Saudi short story. Through these themes, the forum seeks to shed light on the art of the short story and present critical readings that keep pace with the rapidly evolving cultural movement taking place in the Kingdom in line with Saudi Vision 2030.

On another note, the forum will celebrate the work of one of the pioneers of short-story writing in the Kingdom, the late writer Mohammed Ali Alwan, may he rest in peace, (1950–2023), through a seminar featuring a distinguished group of academic critics. The event will recognize his pioneering role in shaping the local and Arab short-story scene, particularly through his focus on the world of the Saudi village. Among his most notable works are (Bread and Silence), (The Story Begins Like This), (Damsah), (Tihall: Tales of the Mountain), and (For the Memory of the Nation).

The Jeddah Culture and Arts Association had previously signed a memorandum of understanding with the NALA Association for Literature and Narrative Arts, with the aim of strengthening cooperation in literary and cultural fields and supporting joint programs and initiatives that contribute to enriching the Kingdom's cultural scene.

The memorandum aims to activate cooperation between the two sides in the fields of literature and narrative arts by organizing events, training workshops, and lectures, exchanging expertise, launching distinctive initiatives that support creatives, developing talents, and strengthening literary and cultural activity.

This August, the Jeddah Culture and Arts Association also hosted a cultural seminar entitled “Narrative in Medicine,” which explored the relationship between medicine and narrative and the role of storytelling in expressing human experiences and the intellectual and emotional dimensions they encompass.

The seminar examined the points of intersection between medical knowledge and literary writing, and how experiences related to illness and treatment can transcend their clinical framework and become texts that give voice to human emotions and details, conveying the dimensions of the experience to the reader through a language that brings together knowledge and emotion.

On another note, a partnership had previously been signed between the Riyadh Literary Club and the Sard Cultural Center, with the aim of operating and revitalizing the club, strengthening its position as a vibrant cultural space that embraces writers, artists, intellectuals, and creative professionals.