The formation of Saudi Arabia in 1932, with the unification of the two Kingdoms of the Hejaz and Nejd, not only unified parts of the Arabian peninsula which had until then remained disparate, loosely related ethnic and tribal groupings, but also led to the development of a distinct Saudi Arabian literature. In an era when Arab culture was challenging the traditional literary norms in which, for centuries, poetry had been dominant, the new Arab cultural space permitted aspirational writers in the new Saudi country to experiment and develop their skills with prose. The result was a flowering...