In His Award-Winning Novel, Al-Ruqimi Tells the Story of War that Kills Love and Paves the Way for Exile

SadaNews - Yemeni novelist Hamid Al-Ruqimi departs from recalling a once-glorious Yemeni time, leaving behind an ambiguous nostalgia for a "Happy Yemen". He does not dwell on lamenting ruins, instead launching his characters on a quest for salvation, as they flee death on land only to encounter it in the sea.

In his novel "Blindness of Memory", which won the Katara Prize for published works, Al-Ruqimi draws from his experiences as a war correspondent, presenting images of war and its horrors through a narrative that flows intermittently, blending voices and intertwining destinies.

Amid two corpses, "Badr" or "Yahyah" sees life. He lives under two names, one biological and the other a shepherd, mentor, and provider. His grandfather embodies the nation's memory, narrating history to the writer and foreseeing a time darker than what he has lived.

The narrator opens the story with an intense cinematic scene where the protagonist is chased by an unknown assailant while fleeing Sana'a under a hail of bullets, yet darkness protects him on his journey.

He concludes the novel with another cinematic scene where the hero is thrown onto a cylinder in the open sea, unconscious, before being saved by sailors who take him to the refugee camps on the island of Lampedusa.

In the Beginning was the War

Between the beginning and the end, the story of war unfolds, as "death hangs on the city’s windows, and darkness emerges to confront a new dawn, its garment stained with blood without identity, children whose features are scattered among the clouds, and it has become frightening to search for your lost child".

Al-Ruqimi paints another picture of war: "When the shell fell before you, you could not comprehend it, unaware that war was at the doorstep, and that a malicious group was coming to get you. You were on your way home carrying the burden of your dream on your shoulders, and death fell close to you, you feared, a strange dizziness took you. You were on the ground, your eyes barely opening, surrounded by discarded corpses and people whose shadows cling to pillars of flame, and you alone are the witness who will not testify until your last breath".

He continues, "When I heard someone asking for water, you could not move, he was battling death, signaling you for water after losing his voice, his tongue protruding and blood preceding his saliva, he wanted to move his hand to touch his red tongue, but he died before you".

The novel does not declare who kills whom, nor does the narrator concern himself with convicting the killer; rather, he embarks on a journey into the hearts of the victims, as war divides them, robs them of their humanity, and leaves them to emptiness and futile journeys into exile, leaving behind the turmoil of politics and ideological narratives.

Who Kills Who?

Al-Ruqimi distributes his characters between two generations; grandfather Ahmad represents the old generation and the wisdom of the land, though the First War has divided him and left his wisdom behind, and his vision for salvation is to leave the country.

"My grandfather used to say while I rested my head on his lap: The person who breaks free in a moment of rejection is real and honest, and the war that does not change the humanity of people is an easy and fleeting war, and I must escape from the place where war is taking place, for if it is your war, it will not return you to a normal human, nor will it grant you a great victory".

The next generation is represented by Salim, the narrator's uncle, who takes on the role of the father, a man also divided by war, where his wife is killed, leading him to live a life of futility, creating a rift between him and the narrator, as if the narrative suggests that the new generation finds clarity and tenderness among the old generation, in the figure of the grandfather whom they constantly yearn for.

Conversely, Al-Ruqimi portrays the new generation in a light unbefitting what ruthless war does to the land and its people, fragmented characters torn between their dream of life—even in its simplest manifestations, like watching a football match—and the ever-present death that can even "emerge from the letters of a book".

The narrator lives between two names, Badr before reaching Sana'a from the countryside, and Yahyah after residing in the capital. The character grows and transforms, experiencing a loss of identity and mental turmoil, even to the point of bedwetting, yet the novelist untangles the character's knot by grounding it on two pillars: love and knowledge.

War Kills Love

Abdo Hamadi (one of the characters in the novel), a traveling merchant seasoned by life, meets Yahyah who shares his trade, while Abdo handles commerce and Yahyah dedicates himself to university studies. Abdo represents an educated and well-informed character who opens the doors of knowledge and learning for Yahyah.

The pillar that resolves Yahyah's struggle with his identity is love, as he meets "Yafa", a Yemeni girl whose father named her after the ancient Palestinian city because of his passion for Palestine. The story carries a symbolic reference to the deep emotional attachment between Yemenis and Palestine.

Yahyah’s silent country boy tongue unravels, becoming articulate and poetic, yet war kills this love, as Yafa is murdered in its blaze, while Abdo Hamadi is killed while trying to save her with Yahyah.

The spatial dimension in the novel "Blindness of Memory" expands to encompass the narrator's journey from the Yemeni countryside to Sana'a, "the city of dreams and the lover's affliction that once it strikes anyone, it keeps them on its heart", then to Aden, which becomes the first station on the death journey towards Europe, passing through Egypt, Sudan, and Libya, and arriving at the Italian island of Lampedusa.

A More Painful Image

While images of death and war are familiar in the Yemeni tragedy as broadcasted by screens over the years, Al-Ruqimi presents a more painful image of the death journey chosen by Yemeni youth, a journey that often ends with them drowned at sea, while some take their last breath in the desert, along with the harshness in refugee camps.

In his language, Al-Ruqimi is economical when simplicity requires it, and lavish when necessary, based on a high level of poeticism and a cultural reference expressed by starting his novel with a passage from the late Yemeni poet Abdul Aziz Al-Muqallih.

The author of "Scattered Longing" (2021), "The Forgotten Shadow" (2022), and "Blindness of Memory" (2024) draws from Yemen's rich literary heritage and his journalism experience, capable of creating a text that approaches the image to mimic it while hinting at what lies beyond.

Regarding Winning the Katara Prize in its New Edition and His Novel "Blindness of Memory"

The memory of the novel's hero leaves nothing as it examines the fates and lives of its characters within the Yemeni space, so where did memory go blind? And where did it see?

Memory went blind when the hero faced the First War that distorted the features of childhood and the city, losing the ability to distinguish between life and death; and it saw when another war ignited, as if wars alone were the determinants of his fate and existence map, thus writing became the only sight in the face of blindness, turning into an act of resistance against chaos and oblivion.

Although the novel examines two wars and multiple painful fates lived by Yemen, you "went blind" to what is ideological; what are the reasons for this escape?

The escape from ideology was intentional, as the novel explores humanity before anything else, for war is not a political issue as much as it is a human tragedy experienced by everyone. The distance from ideological discourse gives the text its authenticity and depth, as it was written from the victim's perspective alone.

In your hero's split between Yahyah and Badr, is it a hint of the division of Yemeni identity?

The hero's split between Yahyah and Badr embodies the division of the Yemeni person between a past riddled with wounds and a troubled present and a future drowned in blood, and it is a more human split than a symbolic one. However, I prefer the novelist to leave the interpretation of his text to the readers; they are his partners in discovery.

What did you take from your autobiography for the novel? And what did you leave behind?

I took details of the human experience: war, exile, loss, and longing, and left behind what is personal and private so that my self does not intersect with the characters in the novel who each represent part of any community, its experiences, struggles, and disappointments.

In your narrative and your creative springs, what do they point us towards? I mean what are the references to your cultural formation?

My creative formation began with the Yemeni folk memory and grandfathers’ tales, extending to the literature of Arab resistance. I was influenced by the language of modern poetry, especially Abdul Aziz Al-Muqallih as evidenced in the dedication and the opening quote. I was drawn to texts that blend the self and history, thus combining my vision between realistic literature and philosophical reflection in the face of nothingness.

The novel suggests, as you leave it open-ended, a sense that it is the first part of a Yemeni exile tale?

The open ending is intentional, for it resembles the Yemeni reality that has not yet reached its salvation. It is not an individual exile but a national tragedy living in confusion and searching for meaning; I left the door open because the Yemeni story has not yet been fully written, and it may continue in other texts.

All your heroes die, and the endings are horrific; is there a pessimism in you regarding Yemen?

Death in the novel is not pessimism, but a protest. I wanted to express that war kills even those who remain alive, and that salvation can only be achieved through awareness and memory. The horrific endings reflect a dark reality, but they are also a call to life since writing itself is an act of resistance and survival.

What about the concerns of contemporary Yemeni literature?

Yemeni literature today is concerned with rewriting collective memory and addressing issues of war, identity, and exile. There is a noticeable shift from historical novels to existential narratives exploring the meaning of the Yemeni person after the collapses, alongside a clear increase in linguistic awareness and the diversity of narrative voices.

The Katara Prize is a critical recognition of creative work and its author; what does it mean to you?

The Katara Prize for me is more of an honor for Yemeni literature than a personal award. It confirms that the Yemeni voice is present and creative despite all challenges, and it gives me a multiplied responsibility to continue writing.

And perhaps in pain, there is a beauty granted by language and expression, and the images, no matter how painful, reflect a novelist proficient in his tools, and from his imagination, he creatively describes and explores deep into his characters.

Source: Al-Jazeera