KUWAIT: The Kuwait Center for Expatriates' Rights (KCER) held a cultural evening at its premises in Shuhada on Monday. It invited a number of novelists to discuss their experiences in writing, as well their recent publications.
The spokesman of the center Ibrahim Dashti, said that these activities are meant to strengthen the bonds shared between various cultural organizations in Kuwait. The three writers who participated in the event represented three Arab countries - Kuwait, Syria, and Egypt.

Heba Bukhamseen, a young Kuwaiti novelist, who published her first book in 2003, spoke about her latest book 'Shaghaf' (Passion) a collection of short stories. "All the characters in these stories are inspired by real people, who don't even know that their actions have stopped and caught my attention for days," she said.

Bukhamseen noted that some of the stories were a result of 'surprising' and awe-inspiring inspiration, "I initially completed some of them in half an hour," she said, adding that "I came up with the names for stories before even beginning to write them. In other cases, I wrote the ending of the story before anything else." Bukhamseen concluded that writing is a 'personal world of the writer,' where no one can break in.

Nisreen Tarabulsi, a Syrian news anchor with Kuwait TV, who published her first book in 1997, did not speak exclusively about her latest book "Brovat Raqs Akheerah" (The Last Rehearsal For A Dance). Instead, she talked about her tryst with writing, and about the way she perceives writing.

Writing is my homeland," she said, "The days of exile are shrinking every day, as I see my world being split in half between Kuwait and Damascus. I also feel like a child of divorced parents who share joint custody over him. So every time he approaches any of them he gets excessively spoiled," she added.

Tarabulsi explained that being a news anchor actually boosted her writing career. "If not for my job, my name wouldn't have caught attention on bookstore shelves" she said. She added, "My image as an anchor was actually enriched by the fact that also write .

Egyptian writer and poet Mukhtar Esa said that it is not his specialty to talk about his works, "I will let my works talk for themselves," he said. Esa said that he was 'abducted' by his love for writing, and doubts he will ever break away from the 'magic' has cast.

Esa said that he began as a poet, and that writing novels is only a temporary form of expression. Esa added, "presently anyone who is capable of juxtaposing words calls himself a poet. Anyone who is able tell stories calls himself a novelist." Esa also narrated an excerpt from his newest book 'Ghalta Matba'ea' (Misprint) to the audience. - Kuwait Times