MUSCAT: One cannot agree more with what J.K. Rowling, popular British author of the famed Harry Potter series, once said, “If you don’t like to read, you haven’t found the right book.”

It is indeed true that there’s a reader hidden in each of one of us, it only takes a tiny bit of effort to find that person within ourselves. Most of us have been smitten by the love of reading books from the very first time we read a book cover to cover. The unconditional love that readers have for the written word is indefinable.  

In a bid to understand how readers in Oman have taken their passion for the literary world beyond the obvious, The Arabian Stories reached out to a voracious reader living in Oman.

Anisha Bansal, an Indian expat living in Muscat, who simply for the love of books, went on to start a book club amidst the pandemic. The story is quite fascinating of how this book club has slowly emerged to be a community of readers whose love for reading can motivate anyone to pick up a book. 

“Oman Books Lover Club is a platform to discuss, share, exchange books or simply get to know like-minded fellow booklovers. The book club was founded for the sheer love for books and reading, to borrow, share, exchange books and meet fellow book lovers, It has transitioned into so much more and has created its own identity,” said Anisha. 

The mother of a seven-year-old moved to Muscat in December 2020 along with her daughter. “We were just settling down with the new life in Muscat amidst COVID times and there was very less to do and it was also difficult to stay occupied. Seeing a lot of books posted for sale in buy-n-sell groups, I was always tempted to just keep buying them all.” 

“One fine day, an idea just struck me – why buy and sell when you can borrow, share and exchange! Thus was born Oman Book Lovers Club with an idea to have one giant library for all, where all books lovers can share their collections which when put together could beat any library in the world,” said Anisha. 

With this dream in her heart, Anisha also hoped to find like-minded friends through this initiative. The former headhunter is absolutely amazed how her endeavour has grown into something that has an identity of its own now. 

Oman Book Lovers Club also engages in book sharing events, tie-ups with reading rooms in community centres, and offers bookstore discounts. The club also regularly organises live sessions with authors. That’s not it, it also conducts monthly events, book discussions, reading challenges, and meet-ups. They also have a Teens Club, Kids Club and even Toddlers Club. Age is no bar for the club!  

On the flip side

While a reader makes a journey to the unimaginable world, it is the author who weaves the path to this destination. For a knowledgeable insight into the sacred relationship between an author and a reader, we spoke to a young Omani author. 

29-year-old Ammar Al Naaimi writes fantasy-oriented books such as Sarim, which is an action-fantasy novel about teenage exorcists living in Muscat. “I was born and raised in Muscat before I went off to Germany to study business in college. There, I further cultivated my interest in reading, and writing became one of my hobbies and, increasingly, obsessions. Upon returning, I spent a short while as a journalist, writing mostly about current topics, before I found work as a content creator and editor at Mohammed Al Barwani LLC, where I work to this day.”

When asked about his thoughts about the literary world in the digital age, Ammar said, “More people read more words per day today than they did 10, 20, or 50 years ago. I find it confounding that some people I speak to tend to lament the readership of today, particularly young people. If anything, Twitter has transformed more people into readers than any author to date. Add to that the fact that most archaic texts are now easily downloadable via PDF, and that e-books and audiobooks are a thing. I truly believe that the readership nowadays is in good shape.” 

While many are still yet to discover the works of Omani authors, Ammar believes that Dr. Jokha Al Harthy made a real splash in the zeitgeist of Oman by winning the Man Booker award for Celestial Bodies in English in 2019, the first Arab author to do so. 

“Her writing is bold, unapologetically honest, and frightening in its confusing beauty (if you read the book, you know what I mean). Since then, I have seen more and more young writers emboldened to bring their writings to the candlelight. I believe we are on the cusp of a real uprising in the literary scene, and in 10 years we’ll have a whole list of award-winners and best-sellers who write things that we as Omanis can love with all our hearts,” the young author expressed. 

Ammar recommends that those who have never read the works of Omani authors should start with Dr Jokha Al Harthy and Bushra Khalfan. (We too are making a mental note to add these authors to our reading list)