It was, intimates the author G Willow Wilson, a moment of indisputable serendipity. After enjoying glowing praise for The Butterfly Mosque, her intriguing memoir exploring her conversion to Islam and romance with an Egyptian, the young American turned her gaze towards the youth movement in the Middle East.
"Living in Cairo, I had been full of admiration for the way religion, politics - the whole future of the region, really - was being shaped by technology," she remembers. "At the time, I thought there was a novel set in the world of these bloggers and 'hacktivists', because I could see that their energy could be harnessed for something really extraordinary."
And then, just as she finished writing this new novel, which she called Alif the Unseen, those very same people were gathered in Tahrir Square, imploring Mubarak to leave office. Tunisia and Libya, meanwhile, were also embarking on dramatic new journeys. "These kids could see a brave new world," she says. "And that's what I've tried to capture in the book."
Yet for all its contemporary relevance, Alif the Unseen isn't a hastily cobbled together Arab Spring novel. Part fantasy, part thriller, part Arabian myth and part romance, Alif is a young, disgruntled hacktivist in an unnamed Emirate who falls in love with the wrong girl and goes on the run from state security, ending up in an "Empty Quarter" inhabited by genies.
Somehow, Wilson manages to keep the various fantastical, technological, political and religious plates spinning without ever losing track of the story, or getting bogged down in polemic. The odd lapses into Young Adult territory are balanced by enjoyable references to decades of contemporary culture: there is one memorable moment when the cornered Alif turns to Vikram The Vampire (a nod to one of the five types of djinn) when all seems lost. Vikram sneaks them past their pursuers with a persuasive "these are not the banu adam you're looking for" - a direct homage to Star Wars.
"Well spotted," she laughs. "I've spent my entire writing career speaking to separate audiences - broadly, comic book fans, Muslims and literary types. And I just thought with Alif I could write the book I wanted to write, and gather together all the things I'm passionate about; western pop culture, the religion of Islam and Islamic mysticism and politics in the Middle East.
"So that's why I wasn't at all worried about dropping djinn and ancient texts into what, initially, seems like a relatively straight story set in the contemporary world because, as a writer, I've also always been interested in the fantastical, too. We live in this ultra-rational age where anything wonderful, magical or transcendent is somehow suspect, and I think we've lost something important because of that. I want to bring that wonder and awe back a little bit."
In that sense, though Alif the Unseen was recently compared to Harry Potter in the New York Times, it has more in common with Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy: Alif's world is recognisable and yet subtly different from our own. The crucial difference is that Wilson has been careful not to be as dismissive of organised religion as Pullman.
"I wanted to draw as precisely as I could on real mythologies and real beliefs of the Middle East," says Wilson. "But I did have to be mindful of not betraying the trust of the Muslim community I live in, and I was keen that western readers should understand more about Islamic belief and mythology in a way which was separate from the hugely politicised discussion about terrorism and oil and so on.
"I guess I didn't want to make believers nervous, put it that way. Some people have come up to me at readings and said the book has made them want to make Dua or recite Ayat Al-Kursi and, you know what, that's not a bad idea. That's why, at various points in the book there's the Hand of Fatima, the Hamsa motif."
And it's such dedication to talking about faith within an exciting, page-turning novel, which makes Alif the Unseen so interesting. Wilson, in the end, picks her battles with great care. It's as if, as an American convert to Islam, she has been able to tap into the best from both worlds. "It was difficult," she admits. "But I was writing from the gut."
In Alif the Unseen, the Emirate in which the action take place remains unnamed. G Willow Wilson explains why
"There's a simple reason I didn't just say 'this is set in Abu Dhabi', and it isn't political at all. It's just that I wanted the place to consist of many different aspects of the Middle East which don't all exist in one single Emirate. It needed to have the bustling, modern feeling of a place like Dubai, with the native aristocracy coexisting with migrant workers. But I wanted it to have oil, too. And it was really important that it felt like a place which had been through many iterations over time, so even though Jeddah has some of those things, I drew on Cairo when giving my Emirate a history to explore.
In the end, where exactly it is isn't as important as bringing a level of emotional and linguistic authenticity. I was really keen to create a fantasy that was unique to the world I was writing about, rather than just drop a westernised story into a Middle Eastern Emirate. Hopefully, that will mean people from the Middle East will really enjoy a book set in their world, and western readers will look at the dilemmas of so many young people in the Middle East and think that their struggles are not so different from their own."
Alif the Unseen (Atlantic) is out now in the US and will be released to the rest of the world on September 1. Visit www.aliftheunseen.com for more information.
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Jordan cabinet changes
In
- Raed Mozafar Abu Al Saoud, Minister of Water and Irrigation
- Dr Bassam Samir Al Talhouni, Minister of Justice
- Majd Mohamed Shoueikeh, State Minister of Development of Foundation Performance
- Azmi Mahmud Mohafaza, Minister of Education and Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research
- Falah Abdalla Al Ammoush, Minister of Public Works and Housing
- Basma Moussa Ishakat, Minister of Social Development
- Dr Ghazi Monawar Al Zein, Minister of Health
- Ibrahim Sobhi Alshahahede, Minister of Agriculture and Minister of Environment
- Dr Mohamed Suleiman Aburamman, Minister of Culture and Minister of Youth
Out
- Dr Adel Issa Al Tawissi, Minister of High Education and Scientific Research
- Hala Noaman “Basiso Lattouf”, Minister of Social Development
- Dr Mahmud Yassin Al Sheyab, Minister of Health
- Yahya Moussa Kasbi, Minister of Public Works and Housing
- Nayef Hamidi Al Fayez, Minister of Environment
- Majd Mohamed Shoueika, Minister of Public Sector Development
- Khalid Moussa Al Huneifat, Minister of Agriculture
- Dr Awad Abu Jarad Al Mushakiba, Minister of Justice
- Mounir Moussa Ouwais, Minister of Water and Agriculture
- Dr Azmi Mahmud Mohafaza, Minister of Education
- Mokarram Mustafa Al Kaysi, Minister of Youth
- Basma Mohamed Al Nousour, Minister of Culture
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
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The Written World: How Literature Shaped History
Martin Puchner
Granta
If you go
- The nearest international airport to the start of the Chuysky Trakt is in Novosibirsk. Emirates (www.emirates.com) offer codeshare flights with S7 Airlines (www.s7.ru) via Moscow for US$5,300 (Dh19,467) return including taxes. Cheaper flights are available on Flydubai and Air Astana or Aeroflot combination, flying via Astana in Kazakhstan or Moscow. Economy class tickets are available for US$650 (Dh2,400).
- The Double Tree by Hilton in Novosibirsk ( 7 383 2230100,) has double rooms from US$60 (Dh220). You can rent cabins at camp grounds or rooms in guesthouses in the towns for around US$25 (Dh90).
- The transport Minibuses run along the Chuysky Trakt but if you want to stop for sightseeing, hire a taxi from Gorno-Altaisk for about US$100 (Dh360) a day. Take a Russian phrasebook or download a translation app. Tour companies such as Altair-Tour ( 7 383 2125115 ) offer hiking and adventure packages.
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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THE BIO
Age: 30
Favourite book: The Power of Habit
Favourite quote: "The world is full of good people, if you cannot find one, be one"
Favourite exercise: The snatch
Favourite colour: Blue
The past Palme d'Or winners
2018 Shoplifters, Hirokazu Kore-eda
2017 The Square, Ruben Ostlund
2016 I, Daniel Blake, Ken Loach
2015 Dheepan, Jacques Audiard
2014 Winter Sleep (Kış Uykusu), Nuri Bilge Ceylan
2013 Blue is the Warmest Colour (La Vie d'Adèle: Chapitres 1 et 2), Abdellatif Kechiche, Adele Exarchopoulos and Lea Seydoux
2012 Amour, Michael Haneke
2011 The Tree of Life, Terrence Malick
2010 Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives (Lung Bunmi Raluek Chat), Apichatpong Weerasethakul
2009 The White Ribbon (Eine deutsche Kindergeschichte), Michael Haneke
2008 The Class (Entre les murs), Laurent Cantet
The BIO:
He became the first Emirati to climb Mount Everest in 2011, from the south section in Nepal
He ascended Mount Everest the next year from the more treacherous north Tibetan side
By 2015, he had completed the Explorers Grand Slam
Last year, he conquered K2, the world’s second-highest mountain located on the Pakistan-Chinese border
He carries dried camel meat, dried dates and a wheat mixture for the final summit push
His new goal is to climb 14 peaks that are more than 8,000 metres above sea level
Surianah's top five jazz artists
Billie Holliday: for the burn and also the way she told stories.
Thelonius Monk: for his earnestness.
Duke Ellington: for his edge and spirituality.
Louis Armstrong: his legacy is undeniable. He is considered as one of the most revolutionary and influential musicians.
Terence Blanchard: very political - a lot of jazz musicians are making protest music right now.
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
North Pole stats
Distance covered: 160km
Temperature: -40°C
Weight of equipment: 45kg
Altitude (metres above sea level): 0
Terrain: Ice rock
South Pole stats
Distance covered: 130km
Temperature: -50°C
Weight of equipment: 50kg
Altitude (metres above sea level): 3,300
Terrain: Flat ice
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
Shooting Ghosts: A U.S. Marine, a Combat Photographer, and Their Journey Back from War by Thomas J. Brennan and Finbarr O’Reilly
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Company%20Profile
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The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
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The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylinder turbo
Power: 240hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 390Nm at 3,000rpm
Transmission: eight-speed auto
Price: from Dh122,745
On sale: now