Mohammad Alanazi publishes translation of "Abu Shalakh, the Chameleon" in ArabLit

Mohammad Alanazi, Comparative Literature Ph.D student, recently published Abu Shalakh, the Chameleon in ArabLit, a leading platform dedicated to bringing Arabic literature to English-speaking readers. Abu Shalakh, the Chamelon is an excerpt from a novel by the Saudi Arabian writer, poet, and politician Ghazi Algosaibi (1940–2010), one of the most influential literary and cultural figures in modern Saudi Arabia. In the novel, Algosaibi utilizes satirical fiction and an unconventional narrator to explore questions of (national) identity, social transformation, state-building, modernity, and globalization in Saudi Arabia and the Arab world. This translation aligns closely with Alanazi's academic interests, such as national identity and belonging, globalization, and modernity, and highlights and brings Saudi Arabian literature to a global English-speaking readership. The translation was featured in ArabLit's March 2026 Substack newsletter, which highlighted developments in Saudi Arabian publishing and literature.