Several writers and novelists have stated that the novel today is no longer just a traditional narrative art form, but a free space for self-discovery and the search for human meaning amid the major transformations of the contemporary world. This was discussed during a panel discussion titled "The Novel as a Space for Rebellion and the Search for Meaning," which brought together Dr. Badia al-Hashemi, Omani novelist Zuhran al-Qasimi, Dr. Rima al-Bisiouni, and novelist Muhammad Samir Nada. Al-Hashemi explained that the term "the new novel" refers to new narrative methods that break the old molds of narration, form, and story structure. Zuhran al-Qasimi, for his part, said that place plays a major role in shaping the characters within a literary work, stating that when writing a novel about a certain place, the influence of that place on the protagonists must be evident. Rima al-Bisiouni spoke about her novelistic journey, which began when she was 16, saying: "I wrote a historical novel about the conquest of Al-Andalus back then, then I shifted to realism to express the human experience." Samir Nada stated that the writer's task is to diagnose the state of society, shedding light on its ills and resisting ugliness wherever it exists.
