Little Wuw

The novel opens with the arrival of migrating birds to the village of Little Wuw. When the birds die, the tribe's leader also passes away, marking a crucial moment that triggers a series of unexpected changes. In response, the tribe dedicates a special shrine for the deceased leader and entrusts an oracle with the task of receiving messages from him. This shrine becomes a vital link between the tribe and the land, transforming the area into a lush oasis. Over time, the oasis becomes a resting place for travelers and strangers who settle there, bringing new life to the once isolated community. However, these changes introduce conflict between the tribe’s long-held traditions and the emerging reality. The transformations extend beyond human lives to affect the plants and animals of the oasis, symbolizing a broader shift in the natural order.

Critic Yassin Naseer observes: “In the vast openness of the desert, with its focal points— rock and abyss—there are separate spaces where isolation and individuality intensify. The novel provides ample evidence of characters striving, through their individual presence and solitude in the desert, to strengthen their bond with the earth. This is more like a return to a temporal-spatial cave. In essence, the characters abandon the 'first mother' and then, through storytelling, attempt to return to that womb—nature. This return is, by necessity, a psychological one.”

The novel has received widespread international acclaim. In 2015, Little Wuw won the American National Translation Award for Literary Translation, with William Hutchins as the translator. This novel is Hutchins’ fourth translation of Al-Koni works. That same year, Little Wuw was longlisted for the International Man Booker Prize. Hutchins remarked about the challenges of translating this and other works by Al-Koni. “It's the lyricism in his unyielding writing style that makes you want more. It's the painful and beautiful seduction of his images and words”.