A cultural scene is expanding to accommodate questions of deep reading and creative vision: reading clubs and forums across the United Arab Emirates have ceased to be mere passing gatherings for exchanging impressions, and have instead transformed into vibrant spaces for rediscovering texts, deconstructing them, and forging a more conscious relationship between reader and book. Amid discussions where experiences and tastes intersect, the contours of a new reader are taking shape — one who is not content merely to receive, but who participates in producing meaning and revisits literary assumptions.
This striking transformation opens the door to fundamental questions about the role these clubs play in entrenching critical awareness, their capacity to elevate public taste, and their ability to bridge the gap between the reader and academic criticism.
Literary critic Kinana Hatim Issa told Al Bayan that the boom in reading clubs — particularly in the UAE — has succeeded in raising the level of cultural awareness and moving the reader from the phase of hobbyist reading to one of conscious, critical engagement. She argued that dialogue and the exchange of reading experiences enhance the value of the literary text and offer new angles of understanding that may elude even the author. She considered the migration of these conversations from morning coffee gatherings to media platforms and radio programmes a positive step that reflects the maturity of the Arab cultural community.
On the role incumbent on the critic amid this landscape shaped by reading clubs, Kinana said there is a pressing need to develop critical tools and to stop hiding behind complex terminology, explaining that the current crisis in literary criticism lies in its attachment to an archaic, fading language that repels readers and creates a gulf between them and the critical text.
She stressed the importance of building a bridge between the critic and the receiving community across all its segments, calling for contemporary, transparent, and direct criticism that addresses younger generations in their own language — far from the language of condescension — in order to counter shallow or misleading readings that may promote artistically weak works as literary masterpieces.
Cumulative effort
Translator Hazem Ibrahim praised the experience of reading clubs in the UAE, highlighting their vital role in energising and sustaining cultural activity. He described them as a "cumulative effort" that has effectively helped draw a broad segment of the public back to the world of the novel and reading in general.
He noted his personal participation in 4 reading clubs, ranging between in-person and virtual formats, which reflects the flexibility of these initiatives and their ability to accommodate different types of readers. He affirmed that over the past decade these clubs have succeeded in attracting growing numbers of reading enthusiasts, thereby reinforcing the presence of the book in daily life.
He also pointed to the clear complementarity between reading clubs and forums on one hand and major cultural events on the other — such as the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature and the Sharjah and Abu Dhabi International Book Fairs — explaining that this harmony contributes to building an integrated cultural ecosystem that fosters a reading-friendly environment and supports the continuity of cultural activity, ensuring the sustainability and development of the cultural industry.
Shereen Al Zaqzouqi, a member of the "Multaqa Al Riwayat" book club, affirmed that reading salons and clubs have succeeded in moving the reader from the stage of simple hobbyism to that of critical, conscious reading. She explained that these cultural gatherings contribute directly to bringing about a qualitative development in human and cultural thought, by pushing the reader to engage with diverse intellectual and literary models that may differ from what they are accustomed to, thereby enriching their knowledge and honing their analytical abilities.
Comparing the amateur reader with the academic critic, Al Zaqzouqi said there are clear differences, but that these are complementary rather than competitive. She explained that amateur readers benefit greatly from academic opinions, which offer a different critical, linguistic, and narrative perspective that enriches the discussion and allows for an exchange of ideas between both sides — where the academic learns from the spontaneity of amateurs and the amateurs learn from the rigour of academic methodology.
Siham Jibreel, also a member of the "Multaqa Al Riwayat" book club, praised the significant governmental and societal support for reading clubs and forums in the UAE, affirming that the state has provided venues and books — many of which are offered free of charge — in order to transform reading from a mere hobby into an active element in the formation of the cultured personality.
Siham called for the need to elevate the Arab reader to the level of the excellently cultured reader: one who is not content with superficial reading, but possesses the capacity to deconstruct meanings and read between the lines. She noted that a reader cannot add to a literary work unless they possess a conscious critical sensibility.