Sulayman Al Bassam is one of the world’s leading Arab dramatists. Born in Kuwait, son of a Kuwaiti father and a British mother, Sulayman Al Bassam was educated in Britain. He speaks Arabic, and writes in English; his works are translated from English into Arabic by others, with his own participation. Al Bassam’s position within Kuwaiti society is that of a loyal citizen, but also that of an internal émigré, capable of viewing his country with a critical scepticism. He has expressed gratitude to the United States and its allies for the liberation of Kuwait in 1991, but offers an unqualified critique of American foreign policy. He is committed to the cultural development of the Kuwaiti nation, but is also acutely conscious of the nation’s need for radical political reform and cultural change.

Al Bassam’s theatrical works however have been performed right around the world, particularly in America and Europe, as well as across the Middle East and North Africa. He is essentially a global dramatist. He has created original works drawing wholly on Arabic culture and tradition, such as his play The Mirror for Princes, a radical adaptation of allegorical animal fables which explored the mechanics of Empire and...