The Literary Works of Haitham Boudi... Master's Thesis

Student Anwar Al-Ghuwainim earned her master’s degree from the College of Arts at Kuwait University, Department of Translation, with her English-language thesis titled “An Analytical Study of Kuwaiti Cultural Elements in the Literary Works of Haitham Boudi.” The examination committee comprised Dr. Mohammed Al-Badranah (chairman), Dr. Othman Abul-Adas (supervisor), and Dr. Mohammed bin Nasser (examiner).

The thesis focused on prominent aspects of the literary project of Kuwaiti novelist and historian Haitham Boudi, emphasizing his reliance on real or semi-forgotten historical events, such as the year of the plague in Kuwait, the year of Helik, the year of Haddama, pearl diving and the pearl trade, Kuwait’s old markets, navigation routes to India and East Africa, and Kuwait’s land routes leading to the Levant, Aleppo, and then Europe. It also documented the transformations of Kuwaiti society from the early days of oil and during World War II.

Boudi has enriched the Kuwaiti and Gulf literary canon with more than 57 literary works, including novels, short stories, and scripts for television and cinema.

The Graduate Studies College at Kuwait University had previously published content related to Al-Ghuwainim’s thesis on its Instagram page. Submitted as part of the Translation program in the College of Arts, the thesis highlighted the importance of translating Kuwaiti cultural elements in literature and their role in conveying local cultural identity to non-Arab readers, without losing their meaning or specificity.