By Jerina Zaloshnja
The Albanian edition of “The Journey of the Najdi Boy” (Tirana Times, 2025) appears to mark an important milestone in the cultural history between Saudi Arabia and Albania: it is the first work of Saudi literature to be translated into Albanian. This publication results from the collaboration between Kalemat Agency in Riyadh and the Tirana Times publishing house. It introduces Albanian readers to the narrative of one of Saudi Arabia’s most renowned authors, Yousef Al-Mohaimeed.
Through a simple plot—the adventure of Saleh, a young boy from Najd who leaves his village to uncover the meaning of a recurring dream that haunts him night after night—the novel opens a small, unknown, and highly captivating window into Bedouin mythology, Islamic spirituality, and Arab ethnography, themes that, as far as we know, have rarely been addressed in Albanian literature. For this reason, due to this little-known window into the unfamiliar, the seemingly simple plot proves in fact to be layered with deeper meaning and subtext.
What is the story about?
Saleh, a young boy and the son of a cobbler, shudders and trembles every time his father’s cobbler’s awl—a thick needle used to stitch animal hides into shoes—pierces the tough leather. This shudder haunts him day and night, as his father knows only one trade: crafting shoes from tanned animal hides. Apparently repulsed by this sight, the boy not only refuses to inherit his father’s craft, but becomes so disturbed that it even affects his sleep. For three consecutive nights, he has the same dream—a seemingly meaningless vision that plunges him into a state of desperate anxiety.
In this dream, instead of walking like other people, young Saleh flies like a bird above trees, rooftops, villages, and even cities. But when, like all winged creatures, he grows tired, he descends to rest—not onto the ground, but directly onto the carcass of a slaughtered animal. Thus, from the skies and through the clouds, in this brief earthly repose, Saleh finds himself immersed in a swirl of blood and filth from the animal. There, caught between fear and enchantment, an old man in a gray cloak appears and offers him a cryptic piece of advice: “Travel, so you may understand,” the old man tells him—for in traveling, he will uncover the meaning of his troubling dream. Without hesitation, the boy leaves everything behind—his home, family, friends, village—and sets off in search of understanding.
From the deserts of Najd to the ports of Oman, from the forests of Karnataka to the neighborhoods of Bombay, every stop offers the young boy a fragment of an answer that draws him deeper into the quest for his true self. The story concludes in a cyclical return, echoing the Homeric motif of nostos, where the true meaning of the dream reveals itself in the very place where the journey began.
A Mosaic of Symbols
It is evident that this work by Yousef Al-Mohaimeed is rich in symbolism. Like individual stones in a mosaic, the symbols may appear insignificant when seen in isolation, but the mystery is resolved once the author unites them into a coherent whole. Here are some of the key symbols used in the novel:
First, the use of the dream as a narrative engine. The novel reinforces the Arab tradition of ru’ya (revelation through dreams), transforming the image of the carcass and the animal’s waste into a metaphor for hidden treasure: spiritual and material wealth that demands courage and sacrifice.
Second, the duality of city/desert. The protagonist’s movement from Najd—a frugal and ascetic village—to polyphonic India gives the work an orientalist hue, while also challenging stereotypes: in this novel, India is not portrayed as an exotic “Other,” but as a mirror in which Saleh learns about humanism (such as the river elder who “absolves” him of his sin against the fish).
Third, the motif of the shoe. The two silver shoes are linked to the prophetic concept of “the sandals of the journey”: one is given, offered freely, the other earned through risk. Both sandals remain together only after the protagonist faces the trial of death (venomous vipers).
Language and Style
Local critics have praised Al-Mohaimeed’s lyrical prose, characterized by long sentences, poetic rhythm, and dense imagery. The Albanian translation has attempted to preserve this cadence, maintaining the Oriental breath without freezing the syntax of the Albanian language. The inclusion of a few foreign terms (such as thobe, sheikh, Bayram) is intended to lend textuality and authenticity to the novel, while short footnotes help avoid academic dryness. Care has also been taken to make dialogue as natural as possible—especially in scenes where Saleh converses with his mother or debates with the Hindu fisherman.
With a surprising fluidity, naturalness, and a touch of magical realism and fantasy—with twists not always pleasant—The Journey of the Najdi Boy comes across as a captivating narrative for the brave, the dreamers, and those readers who, like the character in the novel, are in search of the meaning of life. Beyond the clan-based narratives or moralistic polemics often attributed to Saudi prose, the author focuses on personal development, the universality of dreams, and the existential question: “Who am I?”
So, who am I?
The Journey of the Najdi Boy offers an answer.
The post The Book “The Journey of the Najdi Boy” as a Literary Bridge Between Saudi Arabia and Albania – The First Saudi Novel in the Albanian Language appeared first on Tirana Times.
