Hifzur Rahman, press secretary at the Indian Embassy in Riyadh received his doctorate recently from the Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) in New Delhi for his dissertation titled “Social Trends in Saudi Novels 1930–2000.” This is the first research project on Saudi writers carried out in India.
“The Saudi novel in all stages of its inception, development, boom and prosperity, has been closely associated with society and has dealt with many of society’s concerns, issues, as well as intellectual, psychological, cultural and emotional conflicts, and it has contributed to changing the manner of life,” he said, adding that the novel in Saudi Arabia was an artistic tool to bring reforms and awakening among the people to fight European literary propaganda.