Abstract
Since 9/11, a new generation of Saudi novelists, particularly women authors, has begun to attract the attention of readers and scholars in both the Arab and Western world. As the demand for Saudi fiction increased, Western publishers became increasingly interested in publishing translations. Despite the fact that some of these novels were initially banned in Saudi Arabia, they went on to attract a broad readership in the global marketplace, following their translation into English. This article focuses on those Saudi women writers who have made an important contribution to the development of Saudi literature. Firstly, this article reflects on the complex role that the socio-cultural context of Saudi Arabia has played and continues to play in the process of the development of Saudi women's writing. Then, the focus shifts to consider how the process of translation has contributed to the dissemination of novels by Saudi women, transforming these into ‘World Literature’ within the global literary market.