Antarah ibn Shaddad was a pre-Islamic Afro-Arabian warrior poet who lived in the Arabian peninsula.
I don't like war, so I was not sure I was going toAntarah ibn Shaddad was a pre-Islamic Afro-Arabian warrior poet who lived in the Arabian peninsula.
I don't like war, so I was not sure I was going to enjoy his poetry even though I love poetry and Arab poetry (in translation) in particular.
Turns out I enjoyed this collection of poetry very much. Antar's poetry is feisty. colorful, vivid and his use of words and descriptions are elegant. Judging by his poetry, Antarah ibn Shaddad had quite an attitude.
I plan to re-read this book again more slowly using the notes....more
One of the best books I've read this year along with The Man From Bashmour. Elderly Youssef and his niece Maha who are Chaldean Christians native to IOne of the best books I've read this year along with The Man From Bashmour. Elderly Youssef and his niece Maha who are Chaldean Christians native to Iraq both tell their stories which is also the story of modern day Iraq. A very moving and tragic story, beautiful in its' ultimate sorrow. ...more
I started this book in October last year, and it shouldn't have taken me so long to finish since I really love it. The Bridges of Constantine was the I started this book in October last year, and it shouldn't have taken me so long to finish since I really love it. The Bridges of Constantine was the third novel that I read or started in 2020 with prose that was poetic. I would like to read the sequel. ...more
I'm kind of surprised I would enjoy the study and essay The 1936-39 Revolt in Palestine by Palestinian writer Ghassan Kanafani. I rather expected thisI'm kind of surprised I would enjoy the study and essay The 1936-39 Revolt in Palestine by Palestinian writer Ghassan Kanafani. I rather expected this study to be dry since studies often are, but this one was not. This is the kind of history they don't teach in school, especially where I live, and the media is certainly mum about past historical incidents should as this. The History Channel would dare not go here.
The revolt in Palestine in 1936-1939 presents history which is obscure to the average Western audience. It shows that the tragedy of what happened and continues to happen to the Palestinian people began before the Nakba in 1948. The sad, bloody imbroglio was birthed in the previous decade if not before and continues up until this day, this very century. While reading this essay I envisioned not only for the Palestinians but for all of humanity that our course in this world is often like a dismal carousel, just going round and round, the same mistakes, tragedies, and outrages just committed repeatedly. When will we ever learn?
I loved this essay, and I learned so much. Even though this is a study with numbers and statistics included, this is not a boring read. My favorite section was on the role of the Palestinian intellectual, their poetry during the revolt. Kanafani even includes excerpts from poems written and presented during that time.
Ghassan Kanafani wrote not only nonfiction, but he also wrote novels, short stories, and plays which I have yet to read. This is the second short work of his that I've read. I plan to read more of his works. Thank you my 카지노싸이트 friend and fellow bibliophile Sura in Baghdad for mentioning him to me.
The addition of The 1936-39 Revolt in Palestine that I read was a PDF version included in the External Links on Wikipedia's Ghassan Kanafani's page. Scroll down to the External Links heading. It can be found here: The PDF version includes a short biography of the author, a letter from Gaza from Kanafani to his friend Mustafa, a poem, and a tribute, so it's longer than the edition here in on 카지노싸이트.
Another work of Ghassan Kanafani's that I've read is the short piece Jaffa, Land of Oranges:
"Don't act so important, my boy---we are all guests in this world."
I have mixed feelings about this firstOne of my favorite quotes in Cities of Salt,
"Don't act so important, my boy---we are all guests in this world."
I have mixed feelings about this first novel in a pentalogy. There were three characters I liked. Some characters I wish had been developed more. The author Abdul Rahman Munif's style in this translation is rather folksy, in my opinion. Even though it took me forever to read the book, I always looked with anticipation to what was going to happen next.
Thanks my friend Sura for recommending this book to me. I bought Cities of Salt many years ago from the now gone of business used and rare bookstore in my town. It sat on one of my bookshelves collecting dust for many years. Eventually I may take on the next book in the series. I had no plans after getting midway in the novel, but by the end of the book my interest was piqued. ...more
Emilia is a short story about a young Lebanese Christian woman who became blind during the Lebanese Civil War.
Last year during my occasional foragingEmilia is a short story about a young Lebanese Christian woman who became blind during the Lebanese Civil War.
Last year during my occasional foraging on Smashwords for free ebooks by independent authors to download onto my Kindle, I found this story. The synopsis sounded interesting to me because I love reading international literature and especially books by Middle Eastern writers, so I downloaded what I thought was a longer book.
Emilia has good features to it, so much so that it really should be expanded into a novel. I would like to learn more about the main character and the others in the story. There are some scattered minor grammatical errors in the story, but it doesn't distract or detract. This is a good introduction.
The author Michelle El Bitar is Lebanese, and her interview on Smashwords can be read at this link:
Emilia itself is not to be found at the link to Amazon, but it can be read and downloaded at the following link: ...more
I wanted to read this book for a long time ever since I learned about it previous to the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Saddam Hussein had long been an intrigI wanted to read this book for a long time ever since I learned about it previous to the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Saddam Hussein had long been an intriguing figure to me, and I felt the true extent of who he was and what he was about was not being presented in the media.
Either I read about Zabiba and the King in print or heard about it on television. I can't recall which, but the novel was spoken of as a tool the CIA was using to dissect the mind of the then president of Iraq, which the media and DC had obsessed about close to fifteen years. Saddam Hussein had been called everything from a dictator, monster, butcher, and thug. Suddenly we were being told he wrote books. So to me, he wasn't so one dimensional after all.
Saddam Hussein never attached his name as the author of this book, but it's said that everyone in Iraq knew who wrote it. I've even asked an Iraqi friend who said it's true. Was this modesty and humbleness on the part of the president of Iraq?
Zabiba and the King was said to be an allegory when I first read or heard about it. The heroine, Zabiba ('raisin' in Arabic) is a woman of the people, of the peasant class, which Saddam Hussein reminds the reader throughout. Throughout the novel he praises the common people. He himself was of peasant, Bedouin stock, so Zabiba represents his roots. Some have said Zabiba symbolizes Iraq. The king who is her platonic and philosophical lover represents Saddam Hussein, and Zabiba's brutish and abusive husband is the American government and military. Reading the story and its' scattered notes, I wouldn't be a bit surprised if it's true.
So what exactly is this curious novel which is deadly boring at times, but also exciting and suspenseful at others? Is it an allegory? It is certainly a romance. Is it a political treatise? Is it a social commentary about the nobility of the peasant and working classes and the corruption, immorality, and hypocrisy of the merchant classes and the elites? Is it a psychological novel? Is it a suspense novel? Is it an historical epic? Is it a philosophical novel filled with many proverbs, wisdom, and also ideas from the Quran? Is it a subtle diatribe against the American government, the Zionists, and the Gulf Arabs? Is it a sort of treatise to feminism (not third wave) and the strong, smart, and independent woman? Does it begin in ancient Iraq and winds up in modern Iraq at the inception of the Baath Party? What was Saddam Hussein trying to do here? Read and decide.
So ending, in my opinion, Zabiba and the King is all of the above. Yes, the long, drawn out philosophical conversations between Zabiba and the king at the palace get interminable and boring at times, but I happened to like some of the wisdom and the innocence of the two protagonists, being that I am an old schooler and a romantic. Because of the dry parts and some of the disjointedness of Zabiba and the King I don't want to give it more than three stars. It's a curious and somewhat intriguing book. I would give Saddam Hussein a B- for effort.
A couple of my favorite quotes:
Zabiba to the King:
Do you want to bridle my freedom, clip my two wings which allow me to fly between the trees and to enjoy the beauty of the flowers and branches leaning over the surface of the river?
Violence always brings a horrendous amount of pain, independently of whether it is a man who rapes a woman, an army of enemies invading the nation, or a law being violated by those who spurn it. But it is even worse when one is betrayed to the point of humiliation, whether by a country or a human being.
Saddam Hussein wrote several books during his lifetime. In July the Guardian reported that an upcoming novella of his will be published in English:
Naguib Mahfouz is fast becoming one of my favorite novelists along with Bessie Head and Sigrid Undset. Previous to now I've read two modern novels autNaguib Mahfouz is fast becoming one of my favorite novelists along with Bessie Head and Sigrid Undset. Previous to now I've read two modern novels authored by him, The Thief and the Dogs just last year.
Though I suspect some flaws in the translation, I really loved these three novels of ancient Egypt. They are majestic with larger than life but also very human characters.
The battle scenes in Khufu's Wisdom and Thebes at War are very detailed, cinematic and realistic which recalls to my mind how detailed Tolstoy was in formation and descriptions of battles in War and Peace.
Though all three novels have love stories inserted, Rhadopis of Nubia is the romantic novel of the group. But it's more than just a common romance. Like Khufu's Wisdom it has a style in plot similar to Greek or Shakespearean tragedy.
I look forward to reading more books by the author. ...more
A reverse "who done it," but the reader knows who did it. Said Mahran is an ex-con fresh out of prison, a thief and now a murderer with still a degreeA reverse "who done it," but the reader knows who did it. Said Mahran is an ex-con fresh out of prison, a thief and now a murderer with still a degree of humanity left. For those who know him personally and some of the working classes he's both admired as something of a hero against the system and also feared. He had the potential to be a good man, but life has left him betrayed by those he loved and trusted the most. The only one left who might can save him from himself, his bitterness and intense desire for revenge is his old flame Nur, which means "light" in Arabic. For some brief days Nur does bring some light into his life which manages to soften the rock that he has become.
I enjoyed this novella. This is the second book by Naguib Mahfouz that I've read. A number of years back I read the first novel in his Cairo Trilogy. I hope to finish up the trilogy and read more of his work....more
The Gardens of Light is by Amin Maalouf, a Lebanese author. This is the second novel of his that I've read, Leo Africanus being the first.
This historiThe Gardens of Light is by Amin Maalouf, a Lebanese author. This is the second novel of his that I've read, Leo Africanus being the first.
This historical novel is the story of Mani, the crippled prophet who was the founder of Manichaeism, a now extinct belief system which was tolerant of the known faiths of the time and stressed the equality of all people. The main action of the novel takes place in Mesopotamia in what is now the region of modern Iraq in the 3rd century.
Mani reveres not only Jesus but also Zoroaster and Buddha. He is born to a Parthian couple of noble birth. Mani's father Patek abandons his pregnant young wife whom he loves because he comes to love religion more, to join a group of religious ascetics called the White-clad Brethren. Years later Mani, who was taken away from his mother to be raised by the Brethren learns Patek is his real father. Mani grows up a lonely in the company of men always missing his mother. Later he becomes friends with the only other child in the group, an overweight rebellious teenager named Malchos. The friendship lasts for the rest of their lives.
Mani eventually rebels and leaves the Brethren. Before his departure he begins to have his first visions of what he calls his "Twin." This mystical "Twin" will define Mani's destiny. It will lead him from the company of ordinary folk to the halls of the Sassanian monarchs.
This novel has a slightly melodramatic feel to it. I saw a review somewhere that said it has the feel of an old Hollywood epic, which it actually does. I liked the story, but it isn't a novel I would bother to read again. At times some of the characters are a little wooden. ...more
The word I would use to describe this novel is "grinding", grinding as in one of its definitions which is an "oppressive state or condition." There isThe word I would use to describe this novel is "grinding", grinding as in one of its definitions which is an "oppressive state or condition." There is grinding poverty and oppression in Nisanit and also brief episodes of beauty. I didn't think I'd like this book. It had been on my shelf for many years, but 2016 I decided to read it. Every time I'd seize the opportunity to pick it up I liked it and learned something important about the Palestinian and Israeli conflict that has been going on like a meat grinder that has shredded up and crushed many lives for the last 60 years. Another Nakba has just come and gone too.
Nisanit covers the years 1969 to 1985. Fadia Faqir's narrative jumps around among three characters, David, the brute arm of the Israeli interrogation machine. There is no peace for David. Though an interloper in the promised land, finally safe from any potential Hitlers, he has no inner peace. The guilt of occupying someone else's land is always there whether he confesses to himself or not. Even though he sees the marks he beats and whips into Palestinian bodies as the lines, colors, and patterns of an artist, there is still no triumph. David is married, aging, and has no heirs.
Eman is a young Arab woman. When her story begins her home has just been raided by Israeli soldiers. Her first experience with death is when one of the soldiers "kills" her doll Lulu. This image remains with her to adulthood. Eman is loyal to and adores her family, her handsome, dignified father who is imprisoned by his own people and considered a traitor, her long suffering mother withering away with grief over her husband; she wants back the bookshop her husband owned and the family was cheated out of, her three little brothers, and her aging unmarried aunt who is willing to sacrifice her virtue and honor to save her imprisoned brother from the noose. When Eman grows up and prepares herself to become a teacher she meets and reluctantly falls in love with Shadeed.
Shadeed is Palestinian. He is very young and has already lost his father and several siblings to either an Israeli rocket or airstrike. The novel doesn't make it clear which. Shadeed becomes a fedayee(n), a nationalist guerrilla fighter for his people, a hero to them and Eman and to others like David a terrorist. He is handsome, smart, a romantic, and wants to marry Eman. Eman is cautious at first because she isn't sure whether he is serious, plus her life experience has been so far that nearly everyone and everything she intensely loves is taken away from her.
David, Eman, and Shadeed are all tragic figures one way or the other. When people are fighting for survival it often results in tragedy. There are two Nisanits mentioned in the story, the name of the daughter of one of David's and his wife's friend is Nisanit and Nisanit is also a desert flower that once it has rooted itself it's difficult to eradicate from the soil. Eman and Shadeed are the Nisanit, tenacious about their land. David, who is from Poland, despite being the alien to Palestine but with what he sees as ancient claims has nothing like the spirit of someone from the Middle East. He is European and almost blandly Americanized in who his is even down to a meal his wife Jud prepares, steak and potatoes.
There are some shocking scenes in Nisanit, but throughout the novel there is an almost constant dichotomy between the ugly and the beautiful. Fadia Faqir intersperses harsh language with the beautiful, the poetic. She embroiders into the story excerpts from Arab poets such as Syrian Nizar Qabbani. Some people may be turned off by how Faqir created a story that jumps from one character to another, but by mid book I felt this was the best way to get a deeper perspective of the inner worlds of the protagonists and antagonist. In Nisanit, the lives of the three main characters bleed together. ...more
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