“My Beautiful Bahrain” by Robin Barratt, is one of the first books that I have purchased since moving to Bahrain. I find it to be more than a collection of stories and poetry about this island. In fact, I often find myself going back to it to read some of the stories and poems. It contains a wealth of information that most expats and visitors to the island would find not only useful but even inspiring. The following poem written by Kathleen Dodd, one of the forty writers that have contributed to this collection, describes the contrast and the variety that you can find in this country:

“And then there are
the high rise works of art
and worldly malls,
cool for ardent expats
searching for a taste of home.
There is ambivalence;
a deep and complex blend
of bounty and the beauty
of the Call to Prayer.
The ancient and the new,
and seeking for the true
Bahrain.”

Kathleen Dodd from “My Beautiful Bahrain” by Robin Barratt.