Vibrant Connections: The Effectiveness of Humans and Nature in Taher Al-Zahrani’s Novel <i>Nahwu Al-Janob</I>

Abstract

 This article explores the interconnections between humans and nature in Taher Al-Zahrani’s Nahwu Al-Janub (Towards the South [2010]). The natural world of the southern part of Saudi Arabia plays a central role in many of Al-Zahrani’s novels, with Nahwu Al-Janub serving as a prime example. Anchored in an ecocritical approach, this study examines how this novel captures the dynamic relationship between humans and nature, positioning it as a narrative focal point highlighting the human-nonhuman condition, the power of nature, and the self-defence of humans in the environment. It addresses the construction of eco-awareness through the protagonist, Zahran, whose name is derived from the surrounding natural environment. The natural world informs Zahran’s identity, reflecting broader societal shifts in the understanding of nature, culture, and heritage in a rapidly changing Saudi Arabia. The ecocritical analysis engages with the village’s natural elements such as mountains, valleys, farms, farmhouses, traditional attire, rare animals like the rock hyrax (rock rabbit), and other such elements which reveal an intimate connection between the author’s narrative and the southern environment.