Abdo Khal

Abdo Khal (born 1962) is an author from Saudi Arabia and the winner of the 2010 International Prize for Arabic Fiction.

Biography

Khal was born in Al-Mijannah, Saudi Arabia in 1962. He left his home village at a young age and currently lives in Jeddah. His works, written in a distinctive style that blends Qur'anic Arabic with dialectal (specifically Hijazi) Arabic, have made him known within and beyond the Arab world.^[1] Khal studied political science before becoming a novelist and his works criticize the corruption of the very wealthy in the Arab world. They are unavailable in his home country. According to himself, this is because they "address the sacrosanct trio of taboos in the Arab world: sex, politics, and religion".^[2] Due to Khal winning the International Prize for Arabic Fiction, his works are expected to soon be translated into various languages and become more known outside the Arabic-speaking world.^[3]

Bibliography

• Cities Eating Grass
• Immorality
• The Mud
• Death Passes from Here
• Days Don't Hide Anyone
• Barking
• She Throws Sparks

References

1. Abdo Khal at the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature Archived January 17, 2010, at the Wayback Machine.
2. Saudi Arabian writer Abdo Khal wins International prize for Arabic fiction
3. CNN.com: 'Terrifying' Saudi novel wins Arabic Booker

External links

• CNN.com: 'Terrifying' Saudi novel wins Arabic Booker
• Abdo Khal at the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature
• Interview with the Saudi Arabian Writer Abdo Khal: The Discovery of Arabic Literature in the Gulf