The alienation of the Sheikh

Author's name: Amr Al-Amri Publishing house: Knouz Al-Ma'rifa for Publishing and Distribution Year of publication: 2021 Literary classification: Novel Brief about the book: "Ghurbat Al-Shayh" (The Stranger of the Sheikh) touches on the doors of identity and the culture of the Rafd. The Saudi novelist Amr Al-Amri narrates about migration abroad in search of livelihood, away from homeland and family, and uniquely addresses a sensitive topic that Saudi novels have long avoided. The author draws a close geographical map between cities located on the Red Sea and the human relationship between the inhabitants of those countries despite Iraq's differences, and the differences in languages, and religious beliefs. We find that migration and the search for a livelihood in those maritime countries are what unite people despite the diversity and differences of cultures. The culture of the inhabitants of those countries is shaped by trade across the sea, which refines a person's character and teaches him to coexist and adapt to cultures different from his own and his identity. The novel features a mountain character who lived in the high mountains in the south of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in the twentieth century.