Ahmad Bin Abdullah Al-Saqqaf

Ahmad bin Abdullah bin Mohsin bin Saqqaf al-Saqqaf (1882–1949) was a Yemeni novelist, journalist, and poet. His 1927 novel Fatat Qarout (Ar: فتاة قاروت) is regarded by some as the first novel ever written by a Yemeni writer.

Early life

Al-Saqqaf was born in 1882 in Al-Shihr, a town in the Hadhramaut region, to a family known for their learning and knowledge of Islamic jurisprudence. At age four he moved to Seiyun.

Al-Saqqaf is best known for his 1927 novel Fatat Qarout (The Girl from Garut), which criticizes some of the practices of Hadhrami immigrants in the East Indies, such as their integration into local Javan society. According to Dr. Massoud Amshush, this was the first novel ever written by a Yemeni writer. However, others have argued that Muhammad Ali Luqman's Saeed should be considered the first Yemeni novel, as it was published in Aden - unlike al-Saqqaf's work, which was written and published in Indonesia. He is said to have written a second novel in addition to Fatat Qarout, but there is little information about this.

Death

Al-Saqqaf died in 1949, while en route to Yemen aboard a ship from Indonesia.