The Sudanese author recalls the people and experiences behind his novel, studied by up to 60,000 UAE secondary-school students
Sharjah, November 7, 2026
Real-life encounters can provide the foundations of a novel, but transforming them into compelling literary narratives requires imagination and creativity, Sudanese author Amir Tag Elsir told audiences at the 45th Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF 2026).
Speaking during a session titled ‘Zainab’s Pen: When a Life Story Becomes a Novel’, moderated by Amwaj Abu Hamda, Tag Elsir reflected on how Zainab’s Pen draws on his early years as a doctor in Port Sudan, the people he encountered and the everyday life he observed there.
“A novelist begins with reality,” he said. “You may have three or four lines of information, and then the novelist sits down and creates a whole life from them. He creates a novel.”
Through this process, Tag Elsir explained, real people and events become the foundations of fictional narratives, transformed through the writer’s imagination and literary craft.
When a real person becomes a character
One of the book’s most memorable figures is Idris Ali, a real man who repeatedly drew the young Tag Elsir into extraordinary situations. At one point, Tag Elsir recalled, Idris took his car and used it as a taxi. His actions were so unusual that Abu Hamda questioned whether the character could really have existed.
“He is real,” Tag Elsir said. “If he had not fascinated me, I would not have written him. He genuinely surprised me.”
The novel’s title also has its roots in this encounter: Idris gave the young doctor a pen, setting in motion a series of events that would later find their way into the book.
A novel that keeps generating questions
Zainab’s Pen also has a strong connection to young readers in the UAE, where Tag Elsir said it is studied by up to 60,000 secondary-school students.
“They contact me every year,” he said, referring to messages from schools, teachers and students seeking interviews or asking questions about the novel.
Some students, he added, go further and try creating stories of their own.
“They send me messages saying: ‘I wrote a short story; can you look at it?’ We always encourage them because they did not stop at the prescribed text. They wanted to explore further.”
Tag Elsir said his medical career did not create his interest in literature, as his passion for books began much earlier, but it gave him experiences, knowledge and encounters that later became material for fiction.
Organised by the Sharjah Book Authority, the 45th Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF 2026) runs from November 4 to 15 at Expo Centre Sharjah under the theme ‘Made of Stories’, with the Sultanate of Oman as Guest of Honour. The fair brings together 3,212 publishers and exhibitors from 126 countries, showcasing more than 1.7 million titles. Its programme features 1,500 cultural, creative and artistic events, with 106 guests from 25 countries.
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