Al-Badr Translates George Shad's 'The Pearl Merchant' into Arabic
An Arabic translation of George Clifford's 'The Pearl Merchant' has been published by Tawzou' Publications by Dr. Youssef Al-Badr
Translated by Qiyas from السياسة — Original source
The Arabic translation of George Clifford Shad’s novel “The Pearl Merchant” has been published by Tawkun Publications, under the auspices of Dr. Yusuf Al-Badr. The translator stated that this novel is among the rarest Western literary texts set primarily in Kuwait and Bahrain, blending an unconventional treatment of popular adventure spirit with an early depiction of the region in the Western reader’s imagination. It joins the works of travelers, orientalist scholars, and politicians, featuring a prominent presence of the British Residency alongside covert intelligence conflicts among Americans, British officials, and some local merchants. The novel also documents, through literary imagination, the international competition in the Gulf region prior to the oil era.
Al-Badr added that the plot intensifies, with individual adventure intersecting with power struggles, transforming the pearl-diving season into a theatrical backdrop for events that transcend their apparent economic dimensions to reveal deeper layers of a narrative exposing a dynamic world where masks change at a precise historical moment.
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George Clifford Shad (1871–1937) was an American writer raised in a political family; his father served as a member of the Nebraska State Senate and later as lieutenant governor of the state. He gained prominence in the early twentieth century for his production of popular fiction, writing in the genres of adventure, the American West, mystery, and politics. Although he was not included among the currents of classical American literature, his works constitute literary documents that reveal the American mindset’s perception of “the Other” in the early twentieth century.
Dr. Yusuf Al-Badr is a professor of linguistics at the Public Authority for Applied Education and Training in Kuwait. His research focuses on the Kuwaiti dialect, historical semantics, linguistic change, and verbal heritage in the Gulf region, with his studies examining ancient Kuwaiti vocabulary.
