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The ArtsJanuary 2022Book of Beirut
The voice and art of kids from Beirut
by Roula Youssef
The “Book of Beirut” was born, following the devastating explosion of 4 August 2020 at Beirut Port, to be a remedy to the intangible wounds of the children’s inner self, the traumatized children who lived through the ravages of the third-largest explosion in the world. It is a journey of healing through art. A collection of 128 paintings showing the amount of creativity, imagination and love these little warriors offered us over four artistic sessions, with the guidance of a team of experts. Watching them pour their fears and dreams for a better future onto an empty canvas made me want to give them a voice to share their stories. The “Book of Beirut” is a glimpse into the purity of childhood and its ability to heal the world – when empowered.
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Children's & YAWho am I?
by Roula Youssef
'Meet Crazee, a joyful, and free-spirited character, inviting readers to adventure with her on an amazing journey of self-discovery. Springing through life, making new friends, and inspiring young readers, join Crazee as she explores thoughts, feelings, words, behaviours, and friendships from the world around her, and asks 'Who am I?' What are Crazee’s three FUNtabulous expressions? Start reading inside to find out!
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Technology, Engineering & AgricultureOctober 2021Mushrooms
by Youssef Najib Sassine
The white button mushroom, Agaricus bisporus is one of the most widely cultivated mushroom species in the world. It is favored for its high nutritional value and multiple health benefits, especially by consumers interested in vegan and clean eating. This book presents fundamental guidelines for mushroom production as well as major scientific findings in this field. It covers mushroom production and trade, substrates properties, compost quality, breeding, pests and diseases, harvesting, and post-harvest technologies. With practical information on methods used by both commercial and small-scale growers, the book also addresses: The major steps of the mushroom production cycle - compost preparation, spawning, casing, pinning, cropping, and harvest. Ways to improve A. bisporus yield and quality, and disease resistance. Case studies to illustrate cultivation techniques in a range of different countries, making use of local agricultural or industrial wastes. This is a valuable resource for researchers and students in horticulture, as well as professionals and growers.
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Your Psychological Complexes Is Your Eternal prison
by Youssef Al-Hasani
If you are not ready to face your reality, if you are running away from yourself and avoid facing yourself, then this book is not for you! In this book, you will be shocked by discovering many things and facts that you thought were part of the postulates of life. Also, this book will deal with many bold and realistic matters in our Arab societies that were not discussed in detail in the past, and it will be enough to cause a bout of awareness within you.Get ready for a unique journey that will enable you to see things differently, know your true self, your psychological complexes, and how to have a decent and real life.The book addresses the following points: How are we indoctrinated intellectual legacies? And to what extent does the influence of parents in shaping our id entity and our reactions? A detailed psychological analysis of the most important psychological complexes that exist in the aspects of relationships, work, money, Authority, love, and others. A detailed explanation of the methods of deception and emotional manipulation in relationships. How do we become mature? Why are we afraid of confrontation and expressing our thoughts? How do we overcome our fears? The relationship between the psychological complexes and gender.And many other things.
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PoetryThe Penultimate Cup
by Moncef Ouhaibi
A 420-page collection of poetry by Tunisian Moncef Ouhaibi, The Penultimate Cup covers a wide variety of topics. Rich in artistic, philosophical, literacy and historic values, Ouhaibi’s poems offer readers rich experiences, not just poetically but with the imparting of crucial knowledge, too, as his writing is steeped in his own extensive personal experiences. The Penultimate Cup begins with an autobiographical piece entitled "The Family," in which the poet chronicles his ancestral home and gives an account of his family life and childhood before poetry. "The Family" becomes a venue where his family members—those who influenced him the most—arrive in succession: his father, the village chief; his grandfather, the astrologer; his uncle, the chess player, his mother and the rest, while the places where he lived fashion the corners of the poem like furniture: the house, the jungle behind it, the sky above the Roman Amphitheater. Ouhaibi’s poetry combines several art genres, with few of the poems relying on narratives to merge reality with fiction. Poetic imagery is in abundance, his words transform into virtual art, music and philosophical ideas. "The Scream" poem for example, relates not to the sound of a person in pain but his image, which reminds the reader of the famous painting by Norwegian artist Edvard Munch. “Oh Youssef,” writes Ouhaibi, “take my hand, while I scream like Munch in the wilderness”. Once Ouhaibi has established his distinctive style, he takes us deeper into his world, through a myriad of imagery; portraits painted with words. The author says that poetry should be attributed to the language itself, not geography, and in his work we see a host of cities and countries being constantly featured alongside his beloved hometown of Kairouan, making it easy to grasp the deep connection he has with the land. The nearly 60 poems in this collection are eloquent in expression, spanning events from the past, present to the future, sharing a contemporary voice that takes readers on a journey to numerous ancient cities and lands and referencing the works of other poets, artists and novelists, such as Rodin, Darwish, Valéry and the aforementioned Munch.
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MemoirsThe Self: Between Existence and Creation
by Bensalem Himmich
Far more than a straightforward autobiography, celebrated Moroccan writer and former minister of culture Bensalem Himmich diffuses life with literary and intellectual dimensions. Himmich opens his book with a discussion on autobiographical writing, followed by chapters on the author’s early life, starting with his childhood in Meknes. In Paris, he completes a doctorate degree and there marries a Greek woman, Paneyota. The heroic figures of his “rebellious youth” are Marx and Sartre, and the challenges of these and other radical thinkers, in both Arabic and European languages, find their way into his doctoral thesis, Ideological Patterns in Islam: Ijtihad and History (in Arabic, 1990). Subsequent chapters move into the domain of creation, with four categories reflecting the author’s literary, intellectual, linguistic, and cultural interests. Starting with an epigraph of Italo Calvino, the “literary” chapter focuses on the novel, its history, and its complexities. The chapter on the “intellectual” dimension turns on the author’s lifelong interest in the two pillars of philosophy and history. For Himmich, philosophical thought is “the creative and innovative force through which truths and meanings are sought.” The two-part “linguistic” chapter opens with a discussion of identity as “a constantly developing entity”. In the second part he expresses disapproval of the worldwide prevalence of “Anglo-American English” and the weakening effects that a lack of language authority has on the sense of national identity. The “cultural” chapter includes Himmich’s observations from his career, including the poor state of public education and a decline in reading in Morocco. He also considers his time as the Moroccan Minister of Culture and the inevitable complexities of the political system within which he had to operate. The penultimate chapter entitled “My Polemics” offers four of his own polemical stands: on fundamentalist trends—specifically Islam and “Islamism”; on the prevalence in Moroccan publications of the Latin alphabet; and specific issues with the well-known littérateurs Adonis and Youssef Ziedan. The work closes with the author’s reflection on the emergence of a new and negative kind of cultural “hegemony”, the awareness of which he attributes with gratitude to Edward Said and the latter’s interpretation of the work of Franz Fanon.
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To Love Life
by Alawiya Sobh
The novel revolves around the heroine Basma, who suffers from a neurological disease. The sedative medications prescribed by her doctor have affected her memory and so she has become confused. She tries to restore her memory and her body, which has been plagued by painful spasms – something difficult for someone like her, a dancer and choreographer. The novel unfolds inconsistently, telling the story of Basma from childhood on, experiences with her first boyfriend, Ahmad, and her sickness after following the tragic departure of him and her father during the Lebanese civil war. In addition to Basma’s story, we read about the lives of the people she knew and liked throughout her life, including her friend, Anisa, and her emotionally and financially tight husband, and how writing changed her life and helped her fight her disability. We also read about Amina, who is emotionally hungry, and Nizar who investigated different politics and beliefs, ending up insane. In addition to other characters with stories that run in parallel with the main character, Basma, whose life centres on her relationship with her lover and husband, Youssef. A creative painter, his shifts towards fundamentalism lead her to separate from him as she is passionate about life, love and dancing. The novel accurately describes the similarities between her sick body and that of Arab cities collapsed due to the sectarian wars that took place after the so-called ‘Arab Spring’. The heroine documents her sickness to a virtual friend, describing what made her sick and how she resists her illness with will and determination. Her narrative expresses her rejection of religious, sectarian and terrorist extremism of all sects and religions, especially those that diverged from the true Islamic religion and its compassionate teachings. In this novel we find poignant human details and a graceful narration full of expressions that make the reader anxious to know more about the destinies of all its characters. Between the memory of a past saturated with loss and love, and a crueler present witnessed in collapsing cities, Basma clings to her body that keeps on betraying her. Who said that our lives and our bodies are different from the stories of our cities? Who among us knows if our most recent dance was the farewell dance, or a new beginning?
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Ismael et Radia en Égypte
L'Égypte
by Jihane Andaloussi / Fadwa El Alami Moutawakkil / Youssef Al Houcine / Omar Kabbaj
Ignite your little adventurers' love for reading with an exciting journey through Egypt! This book invites young explorers to uncover the secrets of pyramids, sphinxes, and mummies, and to decode ancient hieroglyphs. They’ll meet iconic figures like Cleopatra and explore fascinating monuments while learning about legendary pharaohs. Packed with stickers, games, and coloring pages, this book is a treasure trove designed to spark their curiosity and imagination. Get ready for an unforgettable adventure through the mysteries of ancient Egypt!
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Ismael et Radia aux USA
Les États Unis
by Jihane Andaloussi / Fadwa El Alami Moutawakkil / Youssef Al Houcine / Omar Kabbaj
Ignite your little explorers' passion for reading with a thrilling journey through iconic landmarks and adventures! This book invites young adventurers to explore vibrant scenes from the United States, including Times Square, the Grand Canyon, and Yellowstone. Packed with an adventurous story about Radia and Ismael in the Wild West, as well as stickers, games, and coloring pages, it’s the perfect way to fuel their curiosity and imagination. Buckle up for an unforgettable adventure filled with learning and fun!
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Ismael et Radia au Japon
Le Japon
by Jihane Andaloussi / Fadwa El Alami Moutawakkil / Youssef Al Houcine / Omar Kabbaj
Spark your little adventurers' love for reading with an exciting journey through Japan! This book invites young explorers to discover vibrant scenes, from ancient temples and delicious sushi to the latest technology and video games. They’ll embark on a thrilling forest adventure with Radia, Django, and Ismael, where they’ll encounter a surprising character along the way. Explore iconic sights like Tokyo Tower, cherry blossoms, and koinobori, and learn about Hachiko, tanuki, and manga. Packed with stickers, games, and coloring pages, this book is a treasure trove designed to ignite their curiosity and imagination. Get ready for an unforgettable adventure through the wonders of Japan!
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Ismael et Radia en Italie
L'Italie
by Jihane Andaloussi / Fadwa El Alami Moutawakkil / Youssef Al Houcine / Omar Kabbaj
Ignite your little adventurers' love for reading with a captivating journey through Italy! This book invites young explorers to discover the beauty of Rome, the Leaning Tower of Pisa, and the charm of Florence. They'll dive into Italian cuisine and learn about ancient legends like Julius Caesar, while also exploring the wonders of volcanic landscapes and the island of Sardinia. Packed with stickers, games, and coloring pages, this book is a treasure trove designed to fuel their curiosity and imagination. Get ready for an unforgettable adventure through the rich history and culture of Italy!
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Children's & YAJanuary 2015Hatless
by Lateefa Buti / Illustrated by Doha Al Khteeb
Kuwaiti children’s book author Lateefa Buti’s well-crafted and beautifully illustrated children’s book, Hatless, encourages children (ages 6-9) to think independently and challenge rigid traditions and fixed rituals with innovation and creativity. The main character is a young girl named Hatless who lives in the City of Hats. Here, all of the people are born with hats that cover their heads and faces. The world inside of their hats is dark, silent, and odorless. Hatless feels trapped underneath her own hat. She wants to take off her hat, but she is afraid, until she realizes that whatever frightening things exist in the world around her are there whether or not she takes off her hat to see them. So Hatless removes her hat. As Hatless takes in the beauty of her surroundings, she cannot help but talk about what she sees, hears, and smells. The other inhabitants of the city ostracize her because she has become different from them. It is not long before they ask her to leave the City of Hats. Rather than giving up or getting angry, Hatless feels sad for her friends and neighbors who are afraid to experience the world outside of their hats. She comes up with an ingenious solution: if given another chance, she will wear a hat as long it is one she makes herself. The people of the City of Hats agree, so Hatless weaves a hat that covers her head and face but does not prevent her from seeing the outside world. She offers to loan the hat to the other inhabitants of the city. One by one, they try it on and are enchanted by the beautiful world around them. Since then, no child has been born wearing a hat. The people celebrate by tossing their old hats in the air. By bravely embracing these values, Hatless improves her own life and the lives of her fellow citizens. Buti’s language is eloquent and clear. She strikes a skilled narrative balance between revealing Hatless’s inner thoughts and letting the story unfold through her interactions with other characters. Careful descriptions are accompanied by beautiful illustrations that reward multiple readings of the book.
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January 2013The Madmen of Bethlehem
by Osama Alaysa
Adopting the story-within-a-story structure of Arabian Nights, author Osama Alaysa weaves together a collection of stories portraying centuries of oppression endured by the Palestinian people. This remarkable novel eloquently brings together fictional characters alongside real-life historical figures in a complex portrayal of Bethlehem and the Dheisheh Refugee Camp in the West Bank. The common thread connecting each tale is madness, in all its manifestations. Psychological madness, in the sense of clinical mental illnesses such as schizophrenia, finds expression alongside acts of social and political madness. Together, these accounts of individuals and communities provide a gateway into the histories of the city of Bethlehem and Palestine. They paint a picture of the centuries of political oppression that the Palestinian people have endured, from the days of the Ottoman Empire to the years following the Oslo Accords, and all the way to 2012 (when the novel was written). The novel is divided into three sections, each containing multiple narratives. The first section, “The Book of a Genesis,” describes the physical spaces and origins of Bethlehem and Dheisheh Refugee Camp. These stories span the 19th and 20th centuries, transitioning smoothly from one tale to another to offer an intricate interpretation of the identity of these places. The second section, “The Book of the People Without a Book”, follows parallel narratives of the lives of the patients in a psychiatric hospital in Bethlehem, the mad men and women roaming the streets of the city, and those imprisoned by the Israeli authorities. All suffer abuse, but they also reaffirm their humanity through the relationships, romantic and otherwise, that they form. The third and final section, “An Ephemeral Book,” follows individuals—Palestinian and non-Palestinian—who are afflicted by madness following the Oslo Accords in 1993. These stories give voice to the perspectives of the long-marginalized Palestinian population, narrating the loss of land and the accompanying loss of sanity in the decades of despair and violence that followed the Nakba, the 1948 eviction of some 700,000 Palestinians from their homes. The novel’s mad characters—politicians, presidents, doctors, intellectuals, ordinary people and, yes, Dheisheh and Bethlehem themselves—burst out of their narrative threads, flowing from one story into the next. Alaysa’s crisp, lucid prose and deft storytelling chart a clear path through the chaos with dark humor and wit. The result is an important contribution to fiction on the Palestinian crisis that approaches the Palestinians, madness, and Palestinian spaces with compassion and depth.
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Children's & YAJanuary 2011The Boy Who Saw the Color of Air
by Abdo Wazen
In his first YA novel, cultural journalist and author Abdo Wazen writes about a blind teenager in Lebanon who finds strength and friendship among an unlikely group. Growing up in a small Lebanese village, Bassim’s blindness limits his engagement with the materials taught in his schools. Despite his family’s love and support, his opportunities seem limited. So at thirteen years old, Bassim leaves his village to join the Institute for the Blind in a Beirut suburb. There, he comes alive. He learns Braille and discovers talents he didn’t know he had. Bassim is empowered by his newfound abilities to read and write. Thanks to his newly developed self-confidence, Bassim decides to take a risk and submit a short story to a competition sponsored by the Ministry of Education. After winning the competition, he is hired to work at the Institute for the Blind. At the Institute, Bassim, a Sunni Muslim, forms a strong friendship with George, a Christian. Cooperation and collective support are central to the success of each student at the Institute, a principle that overcomes religious differences. In the book, the Institute comes to symbolize the positive changes that tolerance can bring to the country and society at large. The Boy Who Saw the Color of Air is also a book about Lebanon and its treatment of people with disabilities. It offers insight into the vital role of strong family support in individual success, the internal functioning of institutions like the Institute, as well as the unique religious and cultural environment of Beirut. Wazen’s lucid language and the linear structure he employs result in a coherent and easy-to-read narrative. The Boy Who Saw the Color of Air is an important contribution to a literature in which people with disabilities are underrepresented. In addition to offering a story of empowerment and friendship, this book also aims to educate readers about people with disabilities and shed light on the indispensable roles played by institutions like the Institute.
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Children's & YAThe Dinoraf
by Hessa Al Muhairi
An egg has hatched, and what comes out of it? A chicken? No. A turtle? No. It’s a dinosaur. But where is his family? The little dinosaur searches the animal kingdom for someone who looks like him and settles on the giraffe. In this picture book by educator and author Hessa Al Muhairi, with illustrations by Sura Ghazwan, a dinosaur sets out in search of animals like him. He finds plenty of animals, but none that look the same...until he meets the giraffe. This story explores identity and belonging and teaches children about accepting differences in carefully crafted language.
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Picture booksThe Lilac Girl
by Ibtisam Barakat (author), Sinan Hallak (illustrator)
Inspired by the life story of Palestinian artist, Tamam Al-Akhal, The Lilac Girl is the sixth book for younger readers by award-winning author, Ibtisam Barakat. The Lilac Girl is a beautifully illustrated short story relating the departure of Palestinian artist and educator, Tamam Al-Akhal, from her homeland, Jaffa. It portrays Tamam as a young girl who dreams about returning to her home, which she has been away from for 70 years, since the Palestinian exodus. Tamam discovers that she is talented in drawing, so she uses her imagination to draw her house in her mind. She decides one night to visit it, only to find another girl there, who won’t allow her inside and shuts the door in her face. Engulfed in sadness, Tamam sits outside and starts drawing her house on a piece of paper. As she does so, she notices that the colors of her house have escaped and followed her; the girl attempts to return the colors but in vain. Soon the house becomes pale and dull, like the nondescript hues of bare trees in the winter. Upon Tamam’s departure, she leaves the entire place drenched in the color of lilac. As a children’s story, The Lilac Girl works on multiple levels, educating with its heart-rending narrative but without preaching, accurately expressing the way Palestinians must have felt by not being allowed to return to their homeland. As the story’s central character, Tamam succeeds on certain levels in defeating the occupying forces and intruders through her yearning, which is made manifest through the power of imaginary artistic expression. In her mind she draws and paints a picture of hope, with colors escaping the physical realm of her former family abode, showing that they belong, not to the invaders, but the rightful occupiers of that dwelling. Far from being the only person to have lost their home and endured tremendous suffering, Tamam’s plight is representative of millions of people both then and now, emphasizing the notion that memories of our homeland live with us for eternity, no matter how far we are from them in a physical sense. The yearning to return home never subsides, never lessens with the passing of time but, with artistic expression, it is possible to find freedom and create beauty out of pain.
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In the Footsteps of Enayat Al-Zayyat
by Iman Mersal
‘In the Footsteps of Enayat Al-Zayyat’ is a book that traces the life of an unknown Egyptian writer who died in 1963, four years before the release of her only novel. The book does not follow a traditional style to present the biography of Al-Zayyat, or to restore consideration for a writer who was denied her rights. Mersal refuses to present a single story as if it is the truth and refuses to speak on behalf of the heroine or deal with her as a victim, but rather takes us on a journey to search for the individuality that is often marginalised in Arab societies. The book searches for a young woman whose family burned all her personal documents, including the draft of her second novel, and was completely absent in the collective archives. The narration derives its uniqueness from its ability to combine different literary genres such as fictional narration, academic research, investigation, readings, interviews, fiction, and fragments of the autobiography of the author of the novel. The book deals with the differences between the individuality of Enayat, who was born into an aristocratic family, graduated from a German school and wrote her narration during the domination of the speeches of the Nasserism period, and that of Mersal, a middle-class woman who formed her consciousness in the 1990s and achieved some of what Enayat dreamed of achieving but remained haunted by her tragedy. The book deals with important political, social and cultural issues, as we read the history of psychiatry in modern Egypt through the pills that Enayat swallowed to end her life on 3 January 1963, while her divorce summarises the continuing suffering of women with the Personal Status Law. We also see how the disappearance of a small square from her neighbourhood reveals the relationship between modernity and bureaucracy, and how the geography of Cairo changes, obliterated as the result of changes in political regimes. In the library of the German Archaeological Institute, where Enayat worked, we find an unwritten history of World War II and, in her unpublished second novel, we see unknown stories of German scientists fleeing Nazism to Cairo. We also see how Enayat’s neglected tomb reveals the life story of her great-grandfather, Ahmed Rashid Pasha, and the disasters buried in the genealogy tree.
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Fiction2022The End of the Desert
by Said Khatibi
On a nice fall day of 1988, Zakiya Zaghwani was found lying dead at the edge of the desert, giving way to a quest to discover the circumstances surrounding her death. While looking for whoever was involved in the death of the young singer, nearby residents discover bit by bit their involvement in many things other than the crime itself. ///The story takes place in a town near the desert. And as with Khatibi’s previous novels, this one is also marked by a tight plot, revolving around the murder of a singer who works in a hotel. This sets off a series of complex investigations that defy easy conclusions and invite doubt about the involvement of more than one character. /// Through the narrators of the novel, who also happen to be its protagonists, the author delves into the history of colonialism and the Algerian War of Independence and its successors, describing the circumstances of the story whose events unfold throughout the month. As such, the characters suspected of killing the singer are not only accused of a criminal offense, but are also concerned, as it appears, with the great legacy that the War of Independence left, from different aspects.///The novel looks back at a critical period in the modern history of Algeria that witnessed the largest socio-political crisis following its independence in 1988. While the story avoids the immediate circumstances of the war, it rather invokes the events leading up to it and tracks its impact on the social life, while capturing the daily life of vulnerable and marginalized groups. /// Nonetheless, those residents’ vulnerability does not necessarily mean they are innocent. As it appears, they are all involved in a crime that is laden with symbolism and hints at the status of women in a society shackled by a heavy legacy of a violent, wounded masculinity. This approach to addressing social issues reflects a longing to break loose from the stereotypical discourse that sets heroism in a pre-defined mold and reduces the truth to only one of its dimensions.
