What We Are Reading Today: Outsiders by Lyndall Gordon

Updated 19 March 2019
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What We Are Reading Today: Outsiders by Lyndall Gordon

  • Gordon’s passion for literature is evident on every page of her book

In Outsiders, Lyndall Gordon tells the stories of five novelists — Mary Shelley, Emily Bronte, George Eliot, Olive Schreiner, Virginia Woolf — and their famous novels.

The five writers are woven together in a narration across time, through their reading and sometimes as role models for one another. 

As a biographer, Gordon has been a visionary herself, mind-reading her way into these figures’ creative processes. 

Gordon’s passion for literature is evident on every page of her book.

The book is split into separate parts, each documenting the lives of the famous female writers.

It is clear throughout that Gordon is in awe of and intrigued by the ‘otherness’ of her subjects. 

“This book really makes one think about just what it takes to be a true ‘reformer’ or for that matter a writer,” said a review published in goodreads.com. 

“Gordon’s biographies have always shown the indelible connection between life and art: An intuitive, exciting and revealing approach that has been highly praised and much read and enjoyed,” it added.

Gordon (born Nov. 4, 1941) is a British-based writer and academic, known for her literary biographies. She is a senior research Fellow at St. Hilda’s College, Oxford.


Sotheby’s to auction rare collection of Islamic arms, armor

Updated 05 April 2025
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Sotheby’s to auction rare collection of Islamic arms, armor

DUBAI: On Apr. 29 and 30, Sotheby’s will auction pieces from the Philippe Missillier Collection of Arms and Armor, one of the most important and rarest collections of its kind to come to auction.

The collection, which spans over 100 lots representing more than 500 years of history, features unique and iconic pieces from the Ottoman, Safavid and Mughal Empires. Before the auction, the collection will be exhibited at Sotheby’s Dubai in DIFC from April 7-11 and April 25-28.

It was assembled by Philippe Gilles Rene Missillier (1949-2022), a scholar and collector who spent more than 50 years studying, acquiring, visiting museums and documenting artifacts to master the subject of his interest: Arms of the Islamic world.

In 1988, a large majority of his collection was exhibited in Paris in the exhibition Splendour des Armes Orientales (The Splendor of Oriental Armor), marking the largest exhibition of its kind over the course of the 20th and 21st centuries. The Sotheby’s sale marks the first time his collection is being seen since then.

“This is a landmark sale,” Benedict Carter, Sotheby’s senior director and head of auction sales, Middle East, told Arab News. “For us, this is really the most significant sale in terms of Islamic arms and armor that has been staged.”

A Mughal jade-hilted dagger in the form of a horse, India, 18th century. (Supplied)

Highlights from the collection include weaponry across various Islamic dynasties from Spain to Indonesia, with the star of the auction one of a small group of personal swords belonging to Mughal emperor Shah Jahan, whose reign from 1629-58 marked a period of importance for Mughal architecture and cultural achievements. The sword carries the inscriptions “World-Capturer,” in an affirmation of Shah Jahan’s skills as a military commander. The sword is recorded in the accounts of Venetian traveler Niccolao Manucci, who documented the personal swords of Shah Jahan’s son, Aurangzeb, who most likely inherited it from his father.

The sword’s provenance is fascinating. It entered various prestigious collections during the 19th and 20th centuries, including those of Charles Canning, governor-general and first viceroy of India, and most recently that of George Henry Hubert Lascelles, 7th Earl of Harewood.

Neither Sotheby’s nor Christie’s has staged a standalone sale for arms and armor in about two decades, making the sale significant.

“Occasionally, in our various owner sales every April and October we have (arms and armor) pieces that have come up,” added Carter. “But this is the first time in recent memory that we’ve had a major single owner collection associated with a name that is synonymous with refined taste and deep scholarship.”


Imaan Hammam talks 'incredible time' in new campaign

Updated 05 April 2025
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Imaan Hammam talks 'incredible time' in new campaign

DUBAI: Dutch-Moroccan-Egyptian model Imaan Hammam took to Instagram to highlight Gap Studio’s inaugural campaign, in which she stars alongside US models Alex Consani and Anok Yai.

Gap Studio is a new high-end segment from the US retailer. Created by Zac Posen, Gap Inc.’s executive vice president and creative director, Collection 01 reflects Posen’s signature approach to tailoring and draping while reimagining Gap’s core textiles such as denim and poplin.

“Had the most incredible time bringing @zacposen’s designs to life for #GapStudio with @anokyai and @alexconsani,” Hammam captioned the post, featuring a behind-the-scenes look at the shoot.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Imaan Hammam (@imaanhammam)

Key pieces in the collection include the twill tailored trench coat, double-breasted blazer, high-rise sailor pant and poplin maxi shirtdress.

Earlier this year, Hammam took to Instagram to announce the launch of her new archival project, Ayni, which will highlight significant contributions to Arab film, art, music and literature.

“Meet Ayni (@ayni.vault), an archive dedicated to the preservation and promotion of Arab artistic expression through ‘my eyes,’” Hammam captioned the post on Instagram.

“Follow along as I highlight some of the most significant contributions to Arab film, art, music, and literature — both old and new — and celebrate the talented artists behind them. This project holds such a special place in my heart, and I hope you enjoy it just as much as I enjoy curating it.”

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Gap (@gap)

Late last year, the model made waves when she delivered the opening remarks at the highly regarded Fashion Trust Arabia Awards’ sixth event, in Marrakech, Morocco.

The 28-year-old went on stage in a black kaftan from Moroccan designer Selma Benomar. The heavily embroidered look highlighted Moroccan artistry and design, and paid tribute to the country’s royal family.

“So honored to open this year’s @fashiontrustarabia Awards here in the motherland,” Hamman said on Instagram. “Celebrating Arab artistry in the place where my roots run deep made this experience truly special. Proud to uplift the creativity that makes our culture unique. A special thank you to @selma_benomar_caftan for designing this gorgeous Moroccan custom-made caftan.”

Although Hammam was born and raised in Amsterdam, her mother is from Morocco and she visits the country frequently.

Hammam is one of the most in-demand models in the industry. She was scouted in Amsterdam’s Centraal Station before making her catwalk debut in 2013 by walking in Jean Paul Gaultier’s couture show.  


Spider-Man actor Andrew Garfield to attend MEFCC Abu Dhabi

Updated 05 April 2025
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Spider-Man actor Andrew Garfield to attend MEFCC Abu Dhabi

DUBAI: British American actor Andrew Garfield, known for playing Spider-Man, will appear at this year’s Middle East Film & Comic Con.

The three-day event will take place from April 18-20 at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Center.

The actor will join a list of celebrities that includes Charlie Cox and Vincent D’Onofrio from Marvel’s “Daredevil: Born Again,” “Star Wars” actor Ian McDiarmid, famous for portraying Emperor Palpatine in the space saga; and “Stranger Things” star Natalia Dyer.

Also joining the line-up are Grant Gustin, otherwise known as Barry Allen / The Flash, and Emily Rudd, the navigator of Netflix’s record-smashing, live-action show “One Piece.”

The stars are expected to take part in a panel discussion and will be available for autograph sessions.

Japanese voice actors Kotono Mitsuishi, Daiki Yamashita, Hideo Ishikawa and Kentaro Ito, and US voice actress Colleen O'Shaughnessey, will also attend.


Highlights from Art Week Riyadh: Selected works by some of the Saudi artists participating in the inaugural edition

Updated 04 April 2025
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Highlights from Art Week Riyadh: Selected works by some of the Saudi artists participating in the inaugural edition

RIYADH: Selected works by some of the Saudi artists participating in the inaugural edition of Art Week Riyadh, which begins April 6. 

Maha Malluh 

‘X-Rayed 1’ 

The Najd-born artist is one of the most significant figures in the Kingdom’s contemporary scene. Several of her works will be on show at AWR. This one comes from her “X-Rayed” series, in which Malluh used images from an actual x-ray scanner of an actual passenger’s luggage, as would be seen at airport security when possessions are “being targeted and scrutinized,” the artist has written. “What makes these images even more peculiar is that the suitcases contain cassettes (labeled in Arabic) that are linked to dogmatic interpretations of Islamic practice,” she continued. “It is these ideas, when exported, which have led to several social evils, including the export of extreme thinking and rigid philosophy.” Like many of Malluh’s other series, “X-Rayed” examines “my own culture and its transformation from tradition to modernity.” 

 

Lulwah Al-Homoud 

From ‘The Language of Existence’ 

This work forms part of the influential Riyadh-born artist and calligrapher’s “The Language of Existence” series, in which she presented interpretations of the myriad Arabic names of Allah. According to her gallery, it “reimagines language as a universal visual system, transcending conventional meaning to create a new form of communication.” Al-Homoud created this ‘language’ by “deconstructing the letters of the Arabic language by using mathematical squares to compose new codes for each letter. With these codes, I inscribe the 99 names of God,” she has written. “The first step towards enlightenment is to search for the inner. It is this inner truth that leads to the light of knowledge. My art is concerned with the inner veracity of everything. It is a deep look at creation and its hidden rules that led me to the truth of existence…” 

 

Ahmed Mater 

‘Hulm’ (Dream) 

In his 2011 work “Cowboy Code II,” Ahmed Mater used plastic gun powder caps glued onto a wooden board to spell out, in English, the various ‘rules’ he had imagined. In this more recent work, Mater uses the same technique to present the Arabic word hulm, which translates to ‘dream.’ Whether that’s an instruction, a comment on what visitors to Riyadh can experience, or an explanation of his inspiration for the piece is unclear, but it’s one of a number of similar works the 45-year-old Tabuk native — arguably the most influential Saudi contemporary artist — will be presenting at AWR (others include “Hurriya” (Freedom) and “Salam” (Peace)).  

 

Manal AlDowayan 

‘Totem 1 (Dearest Women)’ 

The prolific Dhahran-born artist represented the Kingdom at the Venice Biennale last year (with “Shifting Sands: A Battle Song) and, unsurprisingly, is participating in perhaps the most significant arts event yet to take place in the Kingdom. Among several of her works on display at AWR is this piece from 2018, which AlDowayan has described as “an attempt at creating a permanent memorial of a fragmented moment.”  

She continued: “I look at the symbols used on the covers of books written by the religious men to address women and their bodies. I attempt to reform the symbols into new representations so that the invisible becomes visible.” The work is not, she stressed, “an attempt to critique or analyze history, but more of a totem of healing to help resolve the past in order to engage with the present, and time in general.” 

 

Bashaer Hawsawi 

‘Warm Space 1’ 

Much of the Jeddah-based visual artist’s practice revolves around found objects and mixed media, exploring, according to theartists.net “notions of cultural identity, cleansing, belonging and nostalgia.” Cleansing is the focus of this piece, which — like several other works by Hawsawi — uses the red-bristled broom heads familiar to anyone living in the Gulf and indicative of the remembered daily routines from which Hawsawi draws inspiration for much of her work. Cleansing also carries a spiritual symbolism — the purification of the self — that features regularly in Hawsawi’s work. 


How Saudi Arabia’s peregrina oil is taking over the beauty world 

Updated 04 April 2025
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How Saudi Arabia’s peregrina oil is taking over the beauty world 

DUBAI: A hidden gem of the desert is making waves on the global stage, and it’s coming straight from the heart of Saudi Arabia.  

The AlUla Peregrina Trading Company is getting ready to showcase its peregrina active oil and extracts at in-cosmetics Global — a cosmetics ingredients trade show — in Amsterdam this month.   

The AlUla Peregrina Trading Company is getting ready to showcase its peregrina active oil and extracts at in-cosmetics Global — a cosmetics ingredients trade show — in Amsterdam this month. (Supplied)

The story behind APTC’s signature ingredient is as rich as the desert itself. The peregrina tree, native to AlUla, is known for thriving in the harsh Arabian climate. It produces nutrient-rich seeds that have been prized for centuries, and now APTC is giving this ancient treasure a modern twist. 

APTC’s chairman and CEO, Abobakar Alanazi, sees the tree as a symbol of resilience and beauty. “It’s a true gem of nature,” he told Arab News. “What makes it exceptional for skin and hair care is the unique composition of its oil and extracts packed with antioxidants, essential fatty acids and bioactive compounds that nourish, protect and rejuvenate skin.” 

APTC’s virgin peregrina oil is “light yet deeply nourishing,” he added, “helping to hydrate the skin, improve elasticity, reduce fine lines and boost hair density.” 

For Alanazi, the oil “exemplifies the essence of desert heritage and longevity in beauty, blending ancient wisdom with modern skincare innovation for a perfect balance.” 

APTC works directly with 159 local farmers, ensuring that every bottle of peregrina oil is traceable from farm to skin. Alanazi also said that 90 percent of APTC’s employees are locals, with 70 percent being women.  

“We take pride in establishing peregrina as an asset of AlUla and Saudi Arabia, focusing on the empowerment of local communities,” he said. 

But breaking into the international beauty scene has not been easy. “One of our biggest challenges has been to position the desert of Arabia on the map of the global ingredients market,” Alanazi said.  

But APTC has now secured partnerships with international brands, including an exclusive deal with Cartier for the launch of skincare products using winterized peregrina oil. These include three premium cosmetics products: pure oil for the face and hair, a face cream and aromatic oils.