![]() ![]() Every stereotype was shattered in the first hour, and every assumption was upended within a day. Like any place, or any people, it relentlessly defies easy categorization. But Saudi Arabia is surprising in a lot of ways. My brother-in-law had been there, so I had some idea of what to expect. I went to Jeddah and the King Abdullah Economic City a few years ago. I always knew the book would find him adrift, but when I heard about the King Abdullah Economic City, it seemed inevitable that Alan would be there, not exactly knowing why, but waiting for the king to determine his fate.ĭid you visit Saudi Arabia while you were doing background research for the novel? Did you have any expectations about what you’d find? He was a salesman, and was then in manufacturing, and like so many in that line of work, his place now is unclear, his expertise superfluous. He’d been kicking around in my head for a couple years-his state of mind, his background, his place in the economy and in his life. It started with thinking about this businessman, Alan Clay. When did you start thinking about setting a novel in Saudi Arabia? “A Hologram for the King,” is about an American businessman who has flown out to Saudi Arabia to pitch an I.T. ![]()
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