RIYADH: Saudi author Faisal G. Binzagr is among the writers featured in the recently published “Arabian Nightmares,” billed as the first English-language anthology of horror shorts by Arab writers. The project — spearheaded by Lebanese author Daniel Habib and crowd-funded via Kickstarter — brings together a diverse mix of regional voices exploring fear and folklore from an Arab perspective. Binzagr learned about the anthology in 2023 from fellow Saudi author Maram Taibah.
“Daniel wanted to create the first anthology of horror shorts written by Arab authors. Apparently that’s never been done before and he was shocked by that, so he was, like, ‘Let’s do it!’ It was a great opportunity and I was very happy to be a part of it,” Binzagr tells Arab News.
His contribution, “The Great Work of Dr Quqazi; or, The Bell,” combines classic horror with distinctly Saudi textures and references — local rituals, internal conflict and the tensions that ripple through families.
The cover of the horror anthology 'Arabian Nightmares.' (Supplied)
The synopsis on Kickstarter reads: “Smothered by his conservative parents, an aspirational young Saudi teeters on the brink of depression. He turns to his uncle — a man of wisdom and science — seeking treatment, but soon begins to suspect his methods lie at the intersection of science, alchemy… and the occult.”
It draws some inspiration from Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein” and Robert Louis Stevenson’s “Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde,” yet remains firmly rooted in the Saudi imagination.
Binzagr grew up in a creative family in Jeddah; the late pioneering Saudi artist Safeya Binzagr was among his relatives. And even as a child, Binzagr experimented with stories that blurred the boundaries between imagination and reality. “I was born writing,” he says. “I think I was around two when I started drawing different stories on paper and having my mom write down what I would dictate to her.”
His American mother, a teacher, encouraged him to think beyond sketches, and toward narrative.
The poster for Faisal Binzagr's short play 'Arabian Gothic,' performed at Ithra in 2021. (Supplied)
“There is one pivotal moment in my writing journey that happened when I was around six or seven,” he says, recalling how the cover of Stephen King’s 1981 horror novel, “Cujo,” which features a rabid dog, prompted him to invent his own wild stories about dangerous animals.
“I remember showing the (stories) to my mom. She was like, ‘No, you have to add narrative around this, some cause and effect, some characters.’
“In the moment, I was super defensive about it,” he continues, but after letting it “percolate” he realized she was right. “And from that point on, I paid more attention to character and theme — not theme explicitly … I was a kid, I didn’t know what ‘theme’ was — but sort of ‘What is the story behind the story?’”
Binzagri wrote his first novel when he was 10 — a story about war, something he was proud to show his maternal grandfather, a US veteran who served in WWII. His entire family applauded his attempt and he hasn’t really stopped crafting stories since.
Though not solely a horror writer, Binzagr’s work often leans into the eerie, the psychological, and the morally complex, meaning that many people associate him with the genre. “It’s funny to me that I have this reputation in the creative sphere here as being a horror writer, because, actually, this was my first horror story,” Binzagr says.
“The Great Work of Dr Quqazi; or, The Bell” is another significant step in the author’s lifelong journey.
“As a kid, I always believed I would be a writer. When I went to university (in the UK), and I started to appreciate the realities of the world, it became clear to me that success in writing is something very difficult to achieve,” he says. “Now my ambitions and strategy are more of a slow burn. I usually find time to write on the weekend or after work — right now it’s a lot slower with my day job, but I’m still chipping away at it.”
To illustrate that “slow burn” approach, Binzagr cites a story he began in 2019 about the reconciliation of different cultural backgrounds, drawing inspiration from his own American and Saudi heritage. One section involving a character’s son served mainly as a plot device, rather than something drawn from experience. It wasn’t until a couple of years later that the story truly began to take shape and feel personal.
“The minute my son was born, my whole perspective on that story changed because it became clear to me that this story, from beginning to end, could actually be about fatherhood,” he says.
Becoming a parent has opened a new chapter in his life, too. Scenes that once explored speculative horror now carry the weight of care and responsibility. His son — now around 18 months old — has reshaped his storytelling lens. His writing style is still deliberate and provocative, but with a tinge of hope.
“I’m very happy (in life) and I hope that my writing — despite the visceral, intense angles — can facilitate happiness in others, as well,” he says.
