- Bushrā Khalfān (1969-, Oman) – Dilshād, Sīrah al-Jūʿa wa al-Shibaʿa (‘Dilshad: biography of hunger and satiety’, 2021). This historical fiction novel is set in Muscat and Muttarah in the first half of the 20th century, a time when Oman knew economic duress and a period of famine (reference). While it covers three generations of Omanis, its title refers to the blind Dilshād, who lives in poverty and hunger in one of the Balochi areas of the city together with his daughter Miryam. The novel reflects on the multiculturality of both cities, including the Balocahis, the Banyan, and the Bahara as they exist next to the Arab culture, and includes passages in the Balochi language (reference). The book is announced to be the first in a forthcoming series (reference) (also in C: Cities: Oman: Muscat).
Refrences:
In order of appearance
- Sharifah Alhinai. 2022. “The great Omani novelist rises”, in Sekka 5(24): 26-31, p. 29, 30
- Munā Abū al-Naṣr. 2021. “‘Dilshād’ li-Bushrā Khalfān .. Riwāyah Nahriyyah Taḥkī al-Sīrah al-Munsiyyah li-Musqaṭ.” www.alfaislmag.com, 1 July 2021, https://www.alfaisalmag.com/?p=21394 (last accessed 29 January, 2023)