PEOPLE · TRAVEL · KUWAIT
Abrar Alghassab
Kuwaiti writer, blogger, and traveler. An associate member of the Kuwaiti Literary Association, and the author of Diaries of Bent Batotta in 2010 and Aflatonia in 2012. Winner of first prize for the short story Kabul in 2013. Known for her travel diaries chronicling destinations across the world.
ON STARTING OUT
Travel and writing, the same gateway.
How did you start your career?
As a traveler, I have been travelling with my family since I was a child. I lived abroad for years in many countries. As a writer, I started at fifteen. I launched my blog in 2009 and published my first book in 2010.
What do you enjoy most about what you do?
Travelling and writing are connected in a way that makes my life more passionate and more fun. Travel is a gateway to a world full of difference, beauty, and adventure. It makes me a narrator of stories worth writing about. Travel is the inspiration to write.
ON CHARACTER
No fear, with time.
What is your biggest fear?
Nothing. A person becomes more mature with experiences and feelings, and at some point, life makes you understanding enough that nothing frightens you.
What motivates you?
Self-love.
What is your biggest complaint?
Responsibilities. I have had to postpone plans because of them.
ON SUCCESS
Proud at every stage.
What is your proudest accomplishment?
At every stage of progress, with every goal, I feel proud of myself. That will never end, as long as I am chasing my dreams.
Are you satisfied with your accomplishments?
Yes. And I am looking for more.
Would you consider yourself successful?
Yes.
If you could start over, what would you change?
Nothing. Even my mistakes. I learned from everything, every person, and every situation. I am always grateful.
DAILY LIFE
Breathe. Eat. Sleep.
Three things you must do every day?
Breathe. Eat. Sleep.
What can you not go a day without?
My phone.
Tidy or messy?
Messy.
Favourite family tradition?
Ghabgah.
Favourite family recipe?
Elbah.
Favourite childhood memory?
The years I spent in Cairo.
FAVOURITES
Elif Shafak, and a key card from every hotel.
Last book you read?
The Girl That Did Not Like Her Name, by Elif Shafak.
Favourite movie?
You’ve Got Mail.
Do you collect anything?
Hotel key cards.
Most daring thing you have done?
Skydiving in Dubai.
Best gift you have received?
A trip to London for my birthday.
Favourite subject in school?
English.
LOVE & LIFE
Falling in love is the craziest pleasure.
What is the craziest thing you have done in the name of love?
Falling in love is the craziest pleasure, I think.
Define love.
The most valuable and meaningful thing in life. Love is life.
Glass half full or half empty?
I will drink it anyway, whether it is full or empty.
Introvert or extrovert?
Since I have public social media, I am an extrovert.
Warning label?
Avoid toxic people.
Motto in life?
Life goes on. Move on. Enjoy every single moment, and be happy.
Where do you see yourself in ten years?
Somewhere far away, travelling the world and enjoying my life.
FOR BOUJEEZ
A Kuwaiti voice with a passport, and an instinct for the long view.
What makes Abrar Alghassab interesting to Boujeez is the way she has built a body of work without performing it. Three published books and a national short-story prize, a travel record that has become its own genre on her platforms, and a quiet refusal to take any of it too seriously. She is the kind of Gulf voice the region keeps producing and then forgetting to celebrate, women who write, travel, and watch the world for themselves. We will keep watching.