The Mariner

Written by Taleb Alrefai

Narrated by Raad Rawi

Length

3h 38m

The Mariner is a paean to the relationship between an expert and the object of their expertise. It is a fictional retelling of events surrounding Kuwait’s famous dhow shipmaster, Captain Al-Najdi. The novel’s fictional version of Al-Najdi narrates the circumstances, when retired, of a fishing trip out into the Persian Gulf with two friends. Al-Najdi’s expertise is of the sea – it is the sea that is the object of his craft, it is with the sea that he has his most significant relationship. The novel takes us to a new and unfamiliar world but it tells a story of expertise and of love that is familiar in its humanity, its vitality and its poignancy.