Recognised as being the first published female Emirati author, Sara Al Jarwan's most highly acclaimed work is Al Sultan Al Kitab Al Awwal, published in 2009, which follows a Bedouin family across the generations. Her books deal largely with themes relating to women and their status and place within society, topics that were once thought of as taboo.
Her career as a writer has not been a conventional one. A former member of the UAE Armed Forces, enrolling just before the first Gulf War in 1991, it was during her time in the army that she wrote her first piece, Yawmiyaat Mujannada (Diary of a Female Recruit) which appeared in the magazine Zahrat Al Khaleej. This was followed a play, then a novel called Shajan Bint Al Qadar Al Hazin (The Melancholy of the Daughter of a Sad Destiny), published in 1992.
A strong and deeply passionate woman, she is unafraid to venture into unpredictable or risky territory. Her most recent work, Udhraa' wa Wali wa Saahir (The Virgin, Saint and the Magician), is a collection of short stories from the emirates which, she says, includes stories that do not always get told. One of the main themes tackled is how one embarks on a journey of "purifying the soul".
"I try to shed light on issues that are like a darkness and through my hand I try to raise awareness. Sometimes you have to venture into areas that are unsafe, full of sadness, and to go into these areas is not an easy task. But it is something I have to do - to shed that light and make it a place full of hope."
A regular guest at the Sharjah International Book Fair during the past 15 of its 31-year history, for Al Jarwan the book fair holds special significance.
"My relationship with it runs very deep," she says. "Since my childhood, in fact. I used to love reading and my father, a poet, also encouraged us to read as much as we can. The book fair became as big as our dreams. The fair may have started very small but it has developed into something very strong."
She hopes one day her books will be translated into many languages and be available across the world, and it's through events such as the Sharjah book fair that her ambition could be realised.
This year at the fair, the focus is on her collection of short stories in Al Yaleema Ayqounat Al Hilm, which explores love, family, relationships and life in Emirati society.
"This is a very important book," she says. "When people read it, they will learn more about the Emirates - the life here, right down to the tiniest of details."
For more information, visit www.sharjahbookfair.com
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
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A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
Army of the Dead
Director: Zack Snyder
Stars: Dave Bautista, Ella Purnell, Omari Hardwick, Ana de la Reguera
Three stars
World Test Championship table
1 India 71 per cent
2 New Zealand 70 per cent
3 Australia 69.2 per cent
4 England 64.1 per cent
5 Pakistan 43.3 per cent
6 West Indies 33.3 per cent
7 South Africa 30 per cent
8 Sri Lanka 16.7 per cent
9 Bangladesh 0
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THE SPECS
Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine
Power: 420kW
Torque: 780Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh1,350,000
On sale: Available for preorder now
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The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
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
Europe’s rearming plan
- Suspend strict budget rules to allow member countries to step up defence spending
- Create new "instrument" providing €150 billion of loans to member countries for defence investment
- Use the existing EU budget to direct more funds towards defence-related investment
- Engage the bloc's European Investment Bank to drop limits on lending to defence firms
- Create a savings and investments union to help companies access capital
How tumultuous protests grew
- A fuel tax protest by French drivers appealed to wider anti-government sentiment
- Unlike previous French demonstrations there was no trade union or organised movement involved
- Demonstrators responded to online petitions and flooded squares to block traffic
- At its height there were almost 300,000 on the streets in support
- Named after the high visibility jackets that drivers must keep in cars
- Clashes soon turned violent as thousands fought with police at cordons
- An estimated two dozen people lost eyes and many others were admitted to hospital
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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
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
