It may not be something that appeals to you - but if it isn't something that at the very least intrigues you, then you are in a very small minority. We all have our guilty pleasures, and it turns out that an awful lot of women have one particular guilty pleasure in common.
The key is escape, according to Sandra Marton, one of romance fiction's most successful practitioners. Which is somewhat ironic, given that the vehicle to this escape almost invariably features a woman held captive - figuratively, literally, or both.
Romance fiction comes in a variety of hues, each tightly formulaic, satisfyingly predictable and with a happy ending guaranteed. For close to a century, one of the most popular and enduring models has been the so-called Desert or Sheikh Romance.
Its beginnings are often traced to the works of Robert Hichens and books such as The Garden of Allah (1904), The Spell of Egypt (1910) and The Call of the Blood (1906). There were others, of course, but most authors working in the genre today point to British writer EM Hull's 1919 work, The Sheik, as the one that truly put the romance of the desert and the figure of the Sheikh on the map.
This was the book that defined the genre and largely actor Rudolph Valentino's career, too. He starred as the hero, Sheik Ahmed ben Hassan, opposite an apparently constantly trembling Agnes Ayres as the heroine, Lady Diana Conway in the film adaptation.
Today it may be impossible to read the book or watch the film without a sort of instinctive cultural cringe brought on by a spasm of ingrained political correctness. In the most basic sense, it is all terribly dated. Valentino is forever waggling his eyebrows, clenching his jaw and flexing his Hollywood muscles. Ayres barely makes it through a scene without clutching her necklace or threatening a faint. As for the plot, it comes uncomfortably close to painting kidnap as a sort of advanced dating technique: Lady Diana rejects the security of a respectable marriage in favour of a month's journey through the desert and is swiftly kidnapped by Valentino's Sheik.
After an unspecified time in helpless captivity, apparently having abandoned all hope but not, mercifully, her curling irons, Lady Diana is rescued only to realise she has fallen in love with her former captor. Meanwhile, the Sheik - a man, we are informed, caught between two worlds - realises he has fallen in love with his former victim. Cue happy ending.
Even at the time of the film's release, its star showed a certain discomfort with the prejudices that the tale fostered. Asked by one reviewer if he thought that Lady Diana would have fallen for a "savage" in real life, Valentino replied: "People are not savages because they have dark skins. The Arabian civilisation is one of the oldest in the world … the Arabs are dignified and keen-brained." In fact, his character was neither Arab nor dark skinned - he was the son of a Scottish earl and a Spanish princess and was educated, as his loyal valet is keen to point out.
The film, like the book that inspired it, was hugely popular and controversial. That same rather conflicted combination could be said to define the general reaction to the legion of Sheikh books that have followed from it and to romance fiction in its broader sense.
After all, year on year, the sales of romance imprints outstrip all others, constituting 35 to 40 per cent of all mass market paperback sales. More than one out of every four books sold is a romance. Harlequin Enterprises, the Toronto-based company that is the world's largest romance publisher - it owns Mills & Boon - posted a revenue of more than 585 million Canadian dollars last year. Yet the books themselves could hardly be accused of being fashionable. If half the women devouring these books were actually admitting to it and talking about them, then the conversation between their devotees would be as dominant as the heroes between their covers. But for many woman, romance fiction exists as the literary equivalent of a secret stash of chocolate - there to be dipped into in moments of quiet indulgence and hastily hidden away if disturbed.
For that reason alone, the cultural phenomenon that is the overwhelming popularity of romance fiction has been easy to ignore - until now. One book has changed that - or more accurately, three books. The Fifty Shades trilogy teeters at the extreme and, thanks to spectacular sales figures, most exposed edge of the romance spectrum.
In the past three months, author EL James has sold more than four million copies through her British publisher Random House and 15 million in America and Canada. It makes the book the fastest-selling adult novel of all time, or as one commentator put it: "It is the fastest selling novel of all time that isn't Harry Potter."
The general reaction to the books seems to have been one of tea cup-rattling shock at both their content and their success. Which doesn't really bear much scrutiny. Almost a century and a multitude of cultural tropes separate The Sheik from Fifty Shades but there are an awful lot of common bonds that tie. Put bluntly, readers, most of them women, have been enjoying shades of Fifty Shades for years.
Because although Sheikh romance has evolved and the detail and setting of Fifty Shades is far removed from those of its literary cousin, the basic mould remains common and unbroken. Rich, powerful man, exotic and repeatedly referred to as "different" in appearance and outlook from other men, overwhelms trembling heroine. At its most dilute, he does so by force of his personality alone but, one way or the other, she is caught.
One common criticism of the genre is that, as well as traducing the Arab male, it glamorises the subjugation of women.
With 24 million books currently in print in more than 20 languages, and 75 romance fiction titles to her name - her latest is Sheikh Without a Heart - it is an argument with which New England author Marton is familiar. It is also one which she dismisses out of hand. "By creating my own Sheikh-led kingdoms, I can advocate for women by never, ever, making my heroines submissive," she says.
"Best of all, I can show how a relationship with an independent-minded woman can influence a man, and his thinking, for the best. We all see how the world is changing and women are a potent factor in that change."
Jayne Ann Krentz, a best-selling author who writes romance fiction under seven pseudonyms, agrees. Whatever the details, she insists, "The woman always wins. With courage, intelligence and gentleness she brings the most dangerous creature on earth, the human male, to his knees. More than that, she forces him to acknowledge her power as a women."
Marton pinpoints the attraction of the Sheikh figure as the fact that he is "a man with one foot in a traditional world, one who wields great authority while, at the same time, sees the need to move firmly into the 21st century. It's an attractive combination."
And let's face it, whether you admit it or not, the sales show that, on some level at least. Romance, whatever that means, sells. Because like junk food or music that's so bad it's good, these books and this genre tap into something most contemporary readers, and more specifically most modern women, feel they ought not to like. But the simple truth is, they do.
Laura Collins is a senior features writer for The National.
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
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
Which products are to be taxed?
To be taxed:
Flavoured water, long-life fruit juice concentrates, pre-packaged sweetened coffee drinks fall under the ‘sweetened drink’ category
Not taxed
Freshly squeezed fruit juices, ground coffee beans, tea leaves and pre-prepared flavoured milkshakes do not come under the ‘sweetened drink’ band.
Products excluded from the ‘sweetened drink’ category would contain at least 75 per cent milk in a ready-to-drink form or as a milk substitute, baby formula, follow-up formula or baby food, beverages consumed for medicinal use and special dietary needs determined as per GCC Standardisation Organisation rules
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COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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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.”
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
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Company%C2%A0profile
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Specs – Taycan 4S
Engine: Electric
Transmission: 2-speed auto
Power: 571bhp
Torque: 650Nm
Price: Dh431,800
Specs – Panamera
Engine: 3-litre V6 with 100kW electric motor
Transmission: 2-speed auto
Power: 455bhp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: from Dh431,800
The biog
Favourite food: Fish and seafood
Favourite hobby: Socialising with friends
Favourite quote: You only get out what you put in!
Favourite country to visit: Italy
Favourite film: Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels.
Family: We all have one!
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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
Race 3
Produced: Salman Khan Films and Tips Films
Director: Remo D’Souza
Cast: Salman Khan, Anil Kapoor, Jacqueline Fernandez, Bobby Deol, Daisy Shah, Saqib Salem
Rating: 2.5 stars
SHAITTAN
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The%20specs
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UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
Need to know
The flights: Flydubai flies from Dubai to Kilimanjaro airport via Dar es Salaam from Dh1,619 return including taxes. The trip takes 8 hours.
The trek: Make sure that whatever tour company you select to climb Kilimanjaro, that it is a reputable one. The way to climb successfully would be with experienced guides and porters, from a company committed to quality, safety and an ethical approach to the mountain and its staff. Sonia Nazareth booked a VIP package through Safari Africa. The tour works out to $4,775 (Dh17,538) per person, based on a 4-person booking scheme, for 9 nights on the mountain (including one night before and after the trek at Arusha). The price includes all meals, a head guide, an assistant guide for every 2 trekkers, porters to carry the luggage, a cook and kitchen staff, a dining and mess tent, a sleeping tent set up for 2 persons, a chemical toilet and park entrance fees. The tiny ration of heated water provided for our bath in our makeshift private bathroom stall was the greatest luxury. A standard package, also based on a 4-person booking, works out to $3,050 (Dh11,202) per person.
When to go: You can climb Kili at any time of year, but the best months to ascend are January-February and September-October. Also good are July and August, if you’re tolerant of the colder weather that winter brings.
Do not underestimate the importance of kit. Even if you’re travelling at a relatively pleasant time, be geared up for the cold and the rain.
Graduated from the American University of Sharjah
She is the eldest of three brothers and two sisters
Has helped solve 15 cases of electric shocks
Enjoys travelling, reading and horse riding
