Interview with Longlisted Author Nadia Najar

When did you begin writing The Touch of Light and where did the inspiration for it come from?

After the publication of my last novel but one, The D Trilogy, I became fascinated by the subject of blindness, and how a blind person lives in the world of the sighted. I embarked on a long journey of research into what blindness is, its different forms, and its medical causes. I then researched the history of photography in the region and other subjects which I hadn’t planned to research.

Before the pandemic, the idea had crystallised, and I began a new journey to discover the concept of light and to write about it. The entire world changed during this difficult period, and naturally I was also affected. I discovered that that period, without prior planning, found its way into the novel and influenced what happened in it.   

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

Work on the novel took nearly four years, including research, writing and revision. I wrote it slowly, during the pandemic, and I’m not sure why it took so long. Later I began editing and proofreading it. I wrote the whole text where I live, in the city of Dubai in the United Arab Emirates.

Do you have writing rituals?

I don’t have firm, fixed writing rituals, but I love to write in a bustling, noisy place. In the morning, I write in a café near my house. I love it because it is not crowded enough to distract me, but not so quiet that it bores me. In the evening, I write in my office, which is full of books and papers.   

For me, the most important thing is to write daily, as long as my circumstances allow me to do so, even if I have to write on my mobile phone or a piece of paper.  

What is your next literary project after this novel?

I am still at the stage of looking for a new idea for a novel. I have many ideas and characters in my head, but they are not yet fully formed. I need some time for the idea to take proper shape before beginning.