Very few Saudi writers are translated in Europe. Here is a UFO published by Le Seuil: The Beaver, Mohammed Hasan Alwan, paints a portrait of Saudi Arabi tainted with humour. The society is weighed down by traditions, religion, but is also changing with a very young population that aspires to change.
See more here.
Très peu d’écrivains saoudiens sont traduits en Europe. Voici donc un ovni publié par les éditions du Seuil : Le Castor, de Mohammed Hasan Alwan, dresse un portrait teinté d’humour de l’Arabie Saoudite. Une société plombée par les traditions, le poids de …

Alwan, and his novel “Beavers” were the guests of Katheline Evin’s show on France Inter, on May 26th, 2015. Listen here.
Below a review that was published on their website. An excerpt in Englihs:
“Cruel and nostalgic, funny and incredibly fierce, this book obviously speaks of Saudi Arabia, its archaisms and violence, the patriarcal system and sexual repression that prevail. But above all, with devastating humour, this novel tells the story of those families where the lack of love, the hypocrisy, greed and rejection of others damage its children and raise walls between …

This review by Catherine Simon, was published by Le Monde des Livres, on January 22, 2015. Below are a few excerpts in English.
Both melancholic and hilarious, this story (…) sheds a critical, often fierce, light on the Saudi society and its offspring (…)

Jabbour Douaihy’s novel “June rain” was acquired by Turner Libros. It was published this week.
June rain was published in French (Actes Sud), English (Bloomsbury Qatar Foundation), Italian (Feltrinelli), German (Hanser), and will appear in Turkish soon. Visit the book’s page on this website.