Jazan, 14 February 2025 – As part of the cultural programme accompanying "Jazan Book Fair 2025," the Literature, Publishing and Translation Commission organized a specialized workshop titled "The Novel: Influence and Being Influenced," moderated by Dr. Ahmed Alloush and hosting novelist Amr Al-Amiri, who explored the novel's role in shaping cultural awareness and engaging with social and historical change.

The Novel: A Mirror That Reflects and Reshapes Society

Al-Amiri affirmed during the workshop that the novel is not merely storytelling but an active means of influence, one that reflects societal ideas and values and helps reinforce new concepts or challenge traditional ones, while giving readers the ability to empathize with characters and issues and to see the world from different perspectives.

He noted that novels draw heavily on social and historical reality, with many literary works shaped by political and intellectual events, in addition to their interplay with other literary genres such as poetry and theatre, and even modern arts such as cinema, all of which is reflected in narrative style and the novel's artistic construction.

The Novel in the Digital Age: Between Interaction and Change

The workshop also examined technology's impact on the contemporary novel, with Al-Amiri discussing the rise of interactive literature and digital novels, which have opened new forms of interaction between text and reader, broadening the horizons of narrative technique and the evolution of the literary text.

The Novel: A Tool for Understanding and Changing the World

The workshop concluded by affirming that the novel is not an isolated literary work but an integral part of the cultural and social fabric, capable of reshaping ideas and steering discussion of major issues, making it an influential tool for understanding and changing reality.

Jazan Book Fair 2025 continues until 17 February, offering a diverse cultural programme that includes workshops, intellectual seminars and literary dialogues aimed at all segments of society.