Skip to content
Amman —

"Boys' Novels and Science Fiction".. A Bridge Between Technology and Humanity in Youth Literature

"Boys' Novels and Science Fiction".. A Bridge Between Technology and Humanity in Youth Literature

The seminar on "Boys' Novels and Science Fiction" at the Amman Book Fair 2026 highlighted the writing of youth literature by integrating science fiction with human values, where participants Fida Al-Zomor, Bathina Al-Balkhi, and Sonya Boumad emphasized the need to present a creative text that respects the youth's awareness and stimulates their imagination away from indoctrination, and keeps up with technology without sacrificing the behavioral aspect.

Fida Al-Zomor explained that boys' novels: "is a literary genre that spans from 9 to 18 years through three developmental stages, and science fiction is distinguished from fantasy by its reliance on scientific facts and hypotheses that are fused into a well-structured narrative construction"

Zomor pointed out that her themes are inspired by her experience in laboratories, emphasizing that: "Passion is more important than scientific background", and called for an annual award for science fiction novels to motivate writers and publishers.

Bathina Al-Balkhi stressed the need to "humanize the experience and avoid preaching when addressing the youth, as the writer is as capable as the mother in understanding his world", and Al-Balkhi called for starting from curiosity about artificial intelligence to direct it towards questioning the impact of technology on identity, noting that: "Science poses the question (What if?) while literature answers (What happened next?), making science fiction a bridge between the future and memory"

Lebanese writer Sonya Boumad stated that: "Science fiction is a preview of the future and a refuge for the youth from indoctrination", citing her novel (I, the Other) -2017- which dealt with cloning early, emphasizing "100% commitment to existing scientific facts while allowing imagination in technologies that have not yet been innovated, and the reason for the weakness of Arab production is that we are consumers of technology, not innovators", and called for: interactive writing workshops and support for publishing in this field"

For her part, the writer Maymouna Al-Shishani, who moderated the seminar, said that science fiction is not just machines and technologies, but it is a question about man and his truth when he reaches the future

Know more about this story?Send us a tip

Al Rai

AI

Ask about this report — answers stay grounded in its text.

Answers are experimental and grounded in Al Rai reporting. Each question uses 2 credits.