During a conversation with Polish novelist Albena Grabowska and Emirati author Saleha Ghabesh, Sharjah’s Guest of Honour program at the Warsaw International Book Fair 2026 focused on the ability of storytelling to bridge cultural divides. The discussion focused on how translation, memory, and history allow stories based on local experience to connect with readers worldwide.
The two writers came together for the session, “The Art of Storytelling through Narrative Experiences from the UAE and Poland,” to discuss how storytelling, memory, history, and place are related, as well as how literature can transcend cultural and geographic boundaries while maintaining a strong connection to its roots.
Ghabesh remarked that stories frequently start with ephemeral moments that linger in memory for years before making their way onto the paper, drawing on her experience writing The Scent of Ginger. She recalled a childhood episode in which teachers gathered outside in tears after a lecture was abruptly ended, sending students home. This memory reappeared years later and was incorporated into the plot of the book. Ghabesh stated that although memory is still essential to fiction, the writer ultimately shapes it through language, society, and craft.
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