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Dubai : At the 44th Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF) 2025, leading writers and scholars emphasized that literature continues to safeguard and reflect cultural identity despite the sweeping effects of globalisation and the digital revolution.
In a thought-provoking session titled “Literature and Social Identity,” distinguished panelists from Lebanon, Pakistan, Nepal, and Syria explored how storytelling sustains collective memory and preserves the essence of human experience.
According to Al Mudassar News Agency, the discussion featured Lebanese academic Dr. Mamoun Tarbieh, Pakistani author Mira Sethi, Nepali novelist Samrat Upadhyay, and Syrian writer Sumar Shehadeh. The participants collectively underscored that literature remains a vital expression of cultural belonging and a bridge between the individual and the community.
Dr. Mamoun Tarbieh described literatur as both an intellectual and social force that captures the emotions, traditions, and moral fiber of societies. He observed that true literature transcends aesthetics—shaping how communities perceive themselves and sustaining relevance amid the homogenizing tides of digital and global influences.
Pakistani writer Mira Sethi highlighted that authentic writing originates from personal truth and emotional honesty. “A writer’s first loyalty is to their experience and integrity,” she said, adding that writers must remain fearless in questioning social conventions and engaging with political realities.
For Nepali novelist Samrat Upadhyay, literature’s power lies in its universality. Though rooted in Nepalese life, his stories resonate across cultures by portraying the shared emotions and struggles of humanity. “Politics inevitably enters fiction because a writer cannot stand apart from their surroundings,” he remarked, emphasizing that literature’s openness to every shade of human experience gives it enduring value.
Syrian author Sumar Shehadeh drew from his country’s tragic history of war and displacement, explaining that his fiction serves as a record of suffering and resilience. “Conflict fractures identity, but it never erases the human truth at its core,” he said. For him, literature is not a decorative art but a moral endeavor—one that confronts pain and loss with courage and sincerity.
The discussion at SIBF 2025 reaffirmed that even in an age of global transformation, literature remains a vessel of memory, identity, and empathy—bridging the personal and the universal through the timeless art of storytelling.
