In 2010, Libyan author ʿUmar al-Kiddi (al-Kiddī, b.1959) published a short story, ‘al-Hayah al-Qasira al-ʿAjiba li-l-Kalb Ramadan’ (2010; ‘The Wonderful Short Life of the Dog Ramadan’, 2011). In it, a wily stray dog, escaped from neglectful owners, is adopted by Mrs de Vries, the wife of an engineer in a Dutch irrigation project in the Libyan desert. Luring Ramadan with treats, Mrs de Vries secures his affection, and, when it is time for her to return to Holland, is distraught to learn that obtaining him a passport will not be as straightforward as she had at first thought. In a country where humans cannot leave, dogs have little chance. In desperation, Mrs de Vries pays for Ramadan's passage aboard an illegal migrant crossing to Lampedusa, where she breathlessly awaits his arrival some weeks later. Having safely arrived in Holland, Ramadan's story then goes viral, prompting audiences to weep at the suffering of ‘animals in the Third World’, and transform him into a national treasure, championed by animal rights activists. Toys are made in his image, and a biopic filmed of his life, with the proviso that, while in Libya, the crew are to film nothing but Ramadan and the events strictly related to his life. After several happy years in Holland, Ramadan dies peacefully, mourned with a state funeral and buried in a Protestant grave.

Al-Kiddi's sharply satirical story holds several narratives in uncomfortabletension. On the one hand, its affectionate portrayal of Ramadan renders it a rare iteration of ‘happily ever after’ in Libyan fiction and a whimsical take on the popular ‘dog's journey home’ genre. On the other, the invisibility of all but Ramadan, both in Libya and his migrant crossing, speaks to the country's long cultural and political marginalisation under Muʿammar al- Qadhafi (al-Qadhdhāfī, 1942–2011), from 1969 until 2011.