The Girls of Riyadh

Yes, Saudi Arabian publishers have, in fact, just published a saucy novel that includes gratuitous lesbianism. Entitled The Girls of Riyadh (Banât al-Riyadh), it is written in MSA (Modern Standard Arabic) with a heavy dose of Riyadhi slang.

I haven't read it. It's not available in translation and I don't read MSA.

(In fact, the only working language I have for reading is French. Even my dreams make me study harder - just last night, I was yelled at by an angry ex-Marine who was teaching me to fly in the 1950s because my Arabic was nonexistent. Why I needed to read Arabic to fly a prop plane in the 1950s escaped me both then and now, but I figured he was scarier than the textbook, so I didn't argue. Guess I should have him in real life?)

That aside, there's a lovely interview with the author, Rajaa Al Sanea, in ash-Sharq al-Awsa6. Here's a snippet for your delectation.

Q: The life of the Saudi woman is somewhat secret… Do you believe your writing will expose you to attacks?

A: I was expecting to be criticized and I included that in the introduction of each letter. Differences in opinions should open the door for dialogue and not aggression. We suffer from an inability to accept rival opinions. Deciding whether to support or condemn a certain point of view requires courage and self-confidence. The majority know that I describe real events but certain groups have attacked me. Strangely, a number of individuals who criticized the novel admit they have yet read it!

I'm trying to get a copy of the novel along with a friend of mine... she plans to read it as she learns MSA... and I'm planning to try and learn MSA so I can read it.