THE BEGINNINGS OF PROSE WRITING IN BAHRAIN

The contemporary rebirth of literary cultural life in Bahrain began only with the start of the twentieth century. An important role in the development of contemporary Bahraini literature has been played by the press. Its development is linked with the name 'Abd Allah az-Za'id who, in the period 1939-1944, published the weekly 'Djaridat al-Bahrayn'. The first socio-cultural journal was Sawt al-Bahrayn'. The creation of literary clubs and the development of the press directly influenced the flowering of cultural-literary life in Bahrain by creating conditions in which writers, poets and intellectuals could be published. Their works presented a vast array of viewpoints and positions reflecting the changes underway in the country. The output of 'Ali Sayyar, Muhammadal-Madjid and Khalaf Ahmad Khalaf constitutes their own form of literary document. They introduced a new means of viewing the world and new ways of expression.