By Arwa Al-Mihanna
RIYADH — Minister of Culture and Information Adel Al-Turaifi has said he encouraged attempts to bring Saudi novels to the silver screen.
The minister was addressing the opening ceremony of the Fifth Saudi Authors Conference in Riyadh on Sunday.
The three-day conference was held with the support of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman. "The King has always supported literature," Al-Turaifi said, adding that the conference is a platform to showcase the development of Saudi poetry and prose.
Al-Turaifi said the conference of Saudi litterateurs comes after a big gap. "The last conference was held 11 years ago," he added.
“Saudi Vision 2030 covers writers and authors as well. We are aware of the responsibility of supporting Saudi literature. The ministry has already implemented projects to support the vision by supporting Saudi theater, authors and writers across the Kingdom,” said Al-Turaifi.
He urged researchers to do their best while presenting papers at the conference in the coming days.
“One of the most prominent initiatives by the ministry is the comprehensive encyclopedia of authors. The encyclopedia is a historical account of the most important moments in the lives of Saudi writers,” said Al-Turaifi.
He encouraged the spread of visual media as a platform for writers to publicize their works.
Scientific Committee Head Ahmad Al-Tami said Saudi literature had a long past.
He said a total of 76 researchers submitted their papers to be presented at the conference and 66 were selected. Thirteen poets were awarded for publishing poetry before 1980. These poets are Ahmad Al-Salih, Abdulaziz Khoujah, Saad Al-Himaidi, Sultana Al-Sidairy, Ahmad Al-Bahkali, Zihar Al-Almaie, Saad Al-Bawardi, Abdullah Bashraheel, Abdullah Al-Himaid, Fowziyah Abu Khalid, Mohammad Al-Shibl and Mueedh Al-Bukhaitan.
Three historical cultural organizations were awarded. These organizations are Al-Manhal Magazine, Saudi Literature Chair and the Ethnainiyah of Abdulmaqsoud Khoujah. The conference will hold roundtables during the day and poetry sessions in the evenings.
