REPRESENTATIVE OF ONE OF THE MOST FAMOUS DUBAI SURNAMES MAHA GARGASH MORE THAN A QUARTER OF THE CENTURY HAVE BEEN AT THE SIGHT OF THE CINEMA CAMERA, EXPLORING THE CULTURE OF PEOPLES IN DIFFERENT CORNERS OF THE WORLD. HOWEVER, FOR A FEW YEARS, THE BACKGROUND DECIDED TO TRANSFER THE COLLECTED PLOTS TO PAPER AND DIFFUSED THEM IN THE FORM OF NOVELS ABOUT THE LIFE OF THEIR EMIRATES. ABOUT THE CREATIVE PROCESS, THE EVOLUTION OF VALIDITY AND NECESSITY TO SAY THE TRUTH THE NOVELIST TOLD IN AN INTERVIEW TO THE "RUSSIAN EMIRATES".
Madame Mach, why, after so many years, did you change your movie camera to pen and paper?
Maha Gargash: As you know, many of my programs were devoted to the culture and past of our region. For more than half a century, I have accumulated many interesting stories that I had to share with the world. But, unfortunately, the television format did not allow to go too deep into details. A different form was needed.
Secondly, I realized that the flip side of the Emirates' leap into the future was the oblivion of traditions - today's children do not know the history of their country, their origin, they even forget their language. I had a great opportunity, as they say, to kill two birds with one stone - to put on a fascinating plot in an interesting form and tell it to everyone. This form was chosen novel ...
However, you write in English and often say that you addressed your novels to Westerners ...
Maha Gargash: This is an opportunity, on the one hand, to appeal to a wider audience, and on the other, to introduce our culture to Westerners who live near us in Dubai, but know almost nothing about us. I would say that I adapted the plot for an English-speaking audience, so that they would not get bogged down in national characteristics and feel more comfortable.
The main character of your first Gecko novel is the young girl Nura from a small seaside village with a fate typical of her generation. Today, life has changed. And how has the fate of an Arab woman changed?
Maha Gargash: First of all, the universal fate of an Arab woman does not exist - each country imposes its own characteristics on her life. For example, if we talk about the Gulf countries, women here have never been oppressed, but, on the contrary, have always led an active lifestyle and played an important role - both in the house and in the family. And today, all doors are open before us - rulers encourage women to develop and grow.
What stories and heroes do modern literature need today, from your point of view?
Maha Gargash: Good stories that will themselves unfold in interesting episodes ...
You mean you don’t control your characters?
Maha Gargash: It's impossible. My heroes live their lives and obey the laws of life. If I interfere in their lives and start sympathizing with one more than the other, I will lose my sense of objectivity.
Do you rely on a sense of justice when working on a book?
Maha Gargash: Of course, justice is a great motivation for the reader. But in the novels there must be universal concepts - love, friendship, jealousy, the laws of survival. Characteristic of all mankind, not limited by the specifics of our region. I just give them a local touch.
By the way, in your novels there are romantic love stories about which it’s not customary to speak out loud yet ...
Maha Gargash: Love is very important in life, in all its aspects. Either you learn to control it, or it will drive you crazy. But, of course, you will lose a lot if you live a life without love.
The second novel, "That, the other self," is dedicated to the "unhappy in its own way" Emirate family. The action takes place in Dubai in the mid-90s. If you are writing novels for export, why haven't you described an exemplary family?
Maha Gargash: No one is interested in reading perfect stories - the reader needs conflict, special characters and intertwined storylines. This is the reason ...
The second novel is significantly heavier than the first ...
Maha Gargash: And he received much more controversial reviews from readers ... The characters are more complex and, although the social framework has become much weaker, the characters still struggle with circumstances.
What about your third novel?
Maha Gargash: He is still at the stage of choosing ideas. I can’t sit down and start writing until I see the story from beginning to end, I don’t feel the conflict. Being passionate about a story is not enough - you need to see the future and be sure that your book is read to the end.
What is your favorite stage of working on a book?
Maha Gargash: Manuscript editing. When the novel is ready, and you only reflect on cosmetic changes. And, of course, the choice of cover - then there is a feeling that you are already holding your own book in your hands.
How do you see the happy end of an emirate novel?
Maha Gargash: There must always be hope for the best.
Interviewed by Natalia Remmer
