Departure of the Sea

About the Book

Summary

Kuwait has come to the West’s consciousness because of its geographic importance. However, general knowledge is limited to Kuwait’s oil wealth and business activities. This collection of short stories offers the public a greater insight into the country’s complex culture from the unique perspective of a Kuwaiti woman. It includes such topics as feminism vs. religion; terrorism; and racial tension. The stories also reveal a different flavor of Kuwait which is not well known to others. It also reflects the literary talents of one of the country’s leading women writers. The introduction offers contextual information about the writer and her work. By way of the short story genre as a forum of public opinion in the Arab world, readers will better understand the issues outlined in the stories and the motifs that drive the author´s narrative.

List of Stories

Departure of the Sea; A World Without Eyes; Delusions; Escape; Resemblance; Waiting; Departure; Who Listens to My Voice?

Haifa Al Sanousi is Associate Professor of Arabic literature at Kuwait University. She is also an author and psycho-literary critic. She holds a Ph.D. in modern Arabic literature and literary criticism from the University of Glasgow, U.K. Al Sanousi is particularly interested in the application of literature and storytelling in psychoanalysis and medicine. She travels broadly to lead literary workshops and present academic papers. Al Sanousi has published extensively in literary criticism and is an author of several collections of short stories, novellas, children’s literature, and training manuals for literature and therapeutic healing workshops. More information is available at: http://razan.com.

Dr. Anchi Hoh holds a Ph.D and an MA in Middle Eastern Studies (University of Manchester), an MA in Jewish Studies (Gratz College), a Certificate in Arab Studies (Kuwait University), an MLS from the University of Maryland, College Park, and a BA in Arabic Language and Literature from the National Chengchi University, Taipei, Taiwan. Dr. Hoh has published extensively on Middle East Studies. Her doctoral dissertation deals with the image of Arab women in contemporary Kuwaiti women’s short stories from the 70s to the present. Dr. Hoh is Editor of Journal of Middle East and Islamic Studies in Asia (JMEISA).

About the Author

Haifa Al Sanousi is Associate Professor of Arabic literature at Kuwait University. She is also an author and psycho-literary critic. She holds a Ph.D. in modern Arabic literature and literary criticism from the University of Glasgow, U.K. Al Sanousi is particularly interested in the application of literature and storytelling in psychoanalysis and medicine. She travels broadly to lead literary workshops and present academic papers. Al Sanousi has published extensively in literary criticism and is an author of several collections of short stories, novellas, children’s literature, and training manuals for literature and therapeutic healing workshops. More information is available at: http://razan.com.