What begins as a literary flirtation at a folklore conference slowly turns into something far darker: in “Umm Al-Duwais”, Yemeni writer Hamid Oqabi reimagines one of the Gulf’s most haunting myths as an unsettling meditation on desire, beauty, exile, death, and seduction.
Set between Emirati folklore and contemporary loneliness, the story asks a dangerous question: What if the monster is not horror itself — but the irresistible beauty of surrender?
(Available in Arabic, English, French, German & Spanish)
https://literatur.review/en/literature/umm-al-duwais (Opens in a new window)
(Opens in a new window)If you would like to support our writing, please check our subscription rates and become a member. We would be delighted!
Date
May 11, 2026
0 comments
Would you like to be the first to write a comment?
Become a member of Literatur.Review and start the conversation.
