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AWARD-WINNING Bahraini author Ali Al Saeed is set to launch his latest book and start a regional promotional tour.
Ali, 25, from Isa Town, hopes this next chapter of his career will be a hit with readers as The Randomist, which was almost 10 years in the making, is a catalogue of non-fiction writings, personal essays, columns and blog posts chronicling his life, his travels and discussing everything from traditional customs to childhood memories.
“It’s certainly been a long time coming,” said Ali, who became the first Bahraini to be selected to the prestigious International Writing Programme in the US last year. “This book is the most personal because it talks about things I’ve been through, things I believe in. It’s appropriate to finally put it out there now. Like finally closing another chapter and moving on to the next.”
The Randomist will be launched during a special event at the Albareh Art Gallery on February 9, from 7.30pm, where the former journalist will talk about the book and read excerpts from it.
The launch will kick-start a regional book tour in which Mr Al Saeed will host talks and readings in Bahrain, Dubai, Kuwait and Oman. Following the launch, Ali will be reading at The Archive, a community art space at Dubai’s Safa Park, on February 16 at 7pm.
He has also been invited to deliver a talk at the German University of Technology in Muscat, Oman, on March 10 and hold a reading at Kuwait’s Q8 Bookstore on a later date. Ali will read again in Bahrain at the Words Bookstore Café on February 24.
“I’m excited about meeting readers from around the region,” he explained, “I’ve done readings in Dubai and Saudi before, but haven’t been on a tour promoting a new book around the region. So I’m looking forward to it.”
The title for the book comes from the eclectic nature of it’s content. Ali explained: “In terms of the topics those range from a wide parameter, for example, my dealing with the painful loss of my best friend and cousin, who lost the fight against a chronic blood disease.
“I talk about some long lost cultural trends, things such as making harees (the traditional Bahraini dish) famous for Ramadan, and how people used to hold their weddings on their houses’ rooftops.
“I also address some cultural and social issues, such as how people perceive art and literature, and what it is like trying to make a living as a writer in an Arab community. So it’s a random mixture, hence the title The Randomist.”
Ali, a former journalist, says his family’s support has encouraged him to continue writing.
“My family struggled at first to accept my choice of becoming a writer, especially when I decided to throw away a successful career as a journalist to pursue my writing. But since then, they’ve been my biggest supporters and advocates. Their pride in my work makes it all worth while, he said.”
The Randomist – which features a cover based on an illustration by award-winning Bahraini contemporary artist Mariam Haji – has been called a ‘heart-wrenchingly earnest read’ by journalist Matt Ross and an ‘eye-opener’ by award-winning author Geoff Nelder.
Ali is the winner of the Bahrain Outstanding Book of the Year Award in 2005 and the author of the novel QuixotiQ, the short story collection Moments and the poetry book Sad Man Dancing.
The book is self-published and will be available to purchase at the launch and various mentioned events in addition to select bookstores at BD10. It can also be purchased online in paperback and ebook format. For more on Ali’s work visit www.alialsaeed.net
