Marcelle Al Eid counts Abu Dhabi as the inspiration for her book

For Marcelle Al Eid, Abu Dhabi is the gift that keeps on giving. Despite leaving the capital 18 months ago to settle in Canada, the author and filmmaker was drawn back to the city to celebrate the success of a pair of creative ventures. The first is her debut collection of Arabic short stories, which was launched at the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair this month.

Titled Min Huna (From Here), the book is full of tales inspired by Al Eid’s time living in the capital, where she worked with the Abu Dhabi Film Commission and as a project director for Iftah Ya Simsim, the upcoming relaunched Arabic version of the educational TV series Sesame Street.

Al Eid also published the blog Marcelle.TV, to share her musings and short stories, some of which made it into Min Huna along with others written especially for the book.

“The stories discuss different things,” she says. “One deals with revolution in Syria, while others are based here [in the capital] and they are inspired by true experiences and stories that I heard from people.

“I came to Abu Dhabi when I was young and grew up here and also went to a public school here. It definitely played a very important role in my life and a lot of these stories are inspired by my time here. Details