Rabat,October 19 (QNA) – The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) held an international symposium today titled “The Poetics of the Novel: The Dialectic of Narrative and Language,” in celebration of World Novel Week, which every year during the week starting on 13 October. The event brought together a distinguished group of writers, intellectuals, and critics from across the Islamic world and featured the announcement of the winners of the second edition of ICESCO’s “Cities of Poems” competition.

In his address, ICESCO Director-General Dr. Salim bin Mohammed AlMalik described the novel as an art form capable of chronicling the human story from its very inception-capturing aspects of life that history has either failed to record or overlooked. He noted that the novel elevates ordinary individuals-those often passed over by a casual glance-into protagonists defined by their own human stories.

Dr. AlMalik explained that ICESCO’s celebration of World Novel Week underscores the importance the organization places on the arts, literature, and culture within its vision and programs. He described this as a deliberate commitment to the power of creativity-a pathway that reconnects human beings to their own humanity. He further observed that, despite the transformations of the modern era, the novel has remained deeply engaged with societal issues, retaining its capacity to expose flaws and bring to light that which often goes unspoken. He called for greater synergy among the arts, emphasizing that humanity is in dire need of the spiritual depth, beauty, and meaning that the arts provide.

The seminar, presented by Moroccan poet and media figure Dr. Ahmed El Harichi, featured a video titled “The Story of the Novel.” Dedicated to honoring prominent novelists from the Islamic world, the presentation explored the significance of the novel and the aesthetic qualities that distinguish it from other narrative art forms.

The discussion also addressed the challenge of genuine innovation-a process that extends beyond mere changes to the novel’s form. It requires the creation of original narrative values ​​that transcend conventional patterns, while reconstructing the relationship between the text, cultural heritage, and contemporary reality. Furthermore, the seminar highlighted the inherent flexibility of the novel and its constant openness to re-evaluation; it leverages modern techniques and communication tools to evolve narrative discourse, enrich the language of storytelling, and broaden the horizons of interpretation. (QNA)