Interview with longlisted author Haneen Al-Sayegh

When did you begin writing The Women's Charter and where did the inspiration for it come from?

I started writing the novel in early 2022. It’s hard to trace the first thread of inspiration of this narrative fabric that has been brewing in my mind and psyche for many years. Inspiration for me is not a specific occurrence as much as it is the way I see and interact with the world. My tendency to be silent and listen, as well as my ability to observe and capture small details since childhood, made the sources of inspiration in my life so many that it would be hard to identify, count or even be aware of them.

I am inclined to believe that I was ready to write this novel many years ago, I only had to make the decision.

Did the novel take long to write and where were you when you finished it?

It took about a year of full time writing with short breaks for travel and other preoccupations. But I had been writing the novel in my mind for many years, ever since I began noticing the pain of the women around me and the absurdity of the norms and laws that govern people’s lives, and ever since the question marks began to haunt me and push me to ask questions to the end even if it were at the expense of losing the way back to the innocence that preceded the question.

I wrote most of the novel in Lebanon and finished it in Berlin.

Do you have writing rituals?

I write in the late morning after breakfast and coffee. In contrast to many novelists who like to write in gardens and cafes, I prefer to write at home in a comfortable chair, far away from all kinds of noise. When I begin writing a novel, I am keen to write daily whether I want to or not because I believe that writing fiction – unlike poetry – should not be subject to momentary inspiration or the writer’s mood.

What is your next literary project after this novel?

Weeks ago, I finished writing my second novel which will be published at the end of 2025 from Dar al-Adab as well.