On Nourelianne

Dear friend,

Today, I'm going to talk to you about "Nourelianne," a short story I wrote some years ago.

I included "Nourelianne" in my short story collection "Clandestine Gospel."

As a storyteller, writing short stories is for me an extraordinary exercise in creativity, research, and passion for writing.

My primary goal is to entertain. You may agree that a story's success is measured by its emotional impact. If the story makes the reader smile or cry, then it is good. The only failure you may have as an author is to leave the reader indifferent, causing the story to vanish.

So, the author's duty is to "create and transmit life and to transmit it well." To me, then, writing is an "act of love" in which you, the author, pour your inner life onto the pages.

The story is told by Hazhid, a slave, in the last moments of his life, and focuses on his encounter with Princess Nourelianne and the tragedy that followed their passion.

In the oasis of Heraz, Hazhid meets Nourelianne, a young, beautiful noblewoman whom the king's wicked nephew, Karzegh, kidnapped and forced to become his lover.

Despite the immense societal gulf separating the slave and the captive noblewoman, they fall deeply in love, seizing stolen moments of intimacy and understanding. Their relationship becomes a symbol of resistance against the oppressive system represented by Karzegh and the decaying kingdom.

Everything occurred about 12,000 years ago in a kingdom named Anshelasiem, now buried under the sands of the desert. Of course, all of this comes from my imagination.

Thus, imagination is one of two essential tools the storyteller must use for writing historical fiction.

1, Imagination is for me like a "kite that flies high."

The other tool is research.

2. Research is the "thread that holds the kite firm."

In the writing of "Nourelianne," the research process was like the one I experienced while writing "Tutankhamen Returns! " And the result is impressive because it's like 'living the story,' which is the author becoming a time traveller and thus, an invisible witness to the events, absorbing the characters' sorrows, joys, and philosophies.

I must confess that I am passionate about ancient civilizations, and this passion has helped me navigate through the centuries, making research an enjoyable task.

Similarly to "Tutankhamen Returns!, the research involved asking specific questions about the political, economic, and social structure of the world 12,000 years ago, including the daily life of its inhabitants.

In conclusion, I hope that by reading this summary of Nourelianne and Hazhid's love story and tragedy, it inspires you to write the stories that may come to mind, focusing not so much on the technicalities of literature but on your own passion and how you feel it in your heart.

Thank you, and all the best to you on your writing journey.