Message to Story Tellers

Early in the morning, I was driving my car when this heavenly song was played on the radio. Nothing special so far right? You've heard it many times before. Except that you're a crazy book lover, it's autumn; "the season of soul" as Nietzsche calls it, and you have just met one of your most favorite authors of all times: The one and only "Rawi Hage". And suddenly the song has a personal meaning, and your day couldn't have started any better!

 

"Scientists are the best readers." Rawi Hage, personal communication

Rawi Hage wrote several books among which "Carnival", the book that has touched the deepest part in me. Picture this, me listening to the song and Rawi Hage popping to mind. In Arabic, "Rawi" is a name, and it also means story teller. His parents must have had a premonition or something! And this song is just everything I would have ever wanted to tell him and all the writers that make me love books so much. So here it goes:

I will soon post a new entry about my encounter with Rawi Hage. But for now, I just urge you to listen to Souad Massi's song "Raoui". The song comes with English translation for those who don't understand Arabic or Algerian dialect. Let me know if you've liked it and if it makes you think of any story teller in particular.

Cheers

Lebanese National Commission for UNESCO Reading Award 2015

Dear all,

Remember the reading competition I won last year? (Click Here if you don't) Well it's on again this year!!!

The Lebanese National Commission for UNESCO in Lebanon is organizing  a reading competition. If you've been reading for free, now you might get some money out of it! The prizes are 3,000,000 L.L. (2000 dollars), 2,250,000 L.L. and 1,500,000 L.L. For details, please see below. Briefly, you can participate if you are over 25 y. o. and are willing to read 5 books in 5 months and write a review for each.


Besides the obvious tempting financial rewards, there are many reasons why I think you should sign up to this competition.


1- You like to read and have been reading for ages and this is finally your chance at getting some recognition and appreciation for your passion.


2- Just another excuse to read five new books (as if you needed one).


3- To encourage other people around you to read and maybe participate with you in the competition.


4- To make a statement: Lebanese people read! Just look at how much participated in this competition alone.


And last but not least,


5- Because I won the first prize last year and there's no reason why you can't win it this year!!!

At the awards ceremony (I'm the girl in the middle, second row)

Lebanese National Commission for UNESCO Reading Award 2015

True to its mission to promote the culture of spreading knowledge, the Lebanese National ‎Commission for UNESCO launches the second edition of the annual national reading award, ‎aimed at promoting reading as a means for the construction of thought and the blossoming of the ‎human being, and therefore as an enabling factor for sustainable development.‎
Target Group:‎
Readers over 25 years old, not working in the publishing industry.‎
Conditions of Participation:‎
‎- A minimum of 5 books must be read.‎
‎- Minimum length of book is 125 pages.‎
‎- To be eligible, the selected books should not have been used by the applicant to write an ‎academic research study, a newspaper article, a report for a publishing house or to participate in ‎a cultural forum.‎
Submission Process:
Phase I from 10/10/2014 to 10/11/2014‎
Registration at the Lebanese National Commission office (Hamra – Ministry of Culture Building – ‎‎1st floor)‎
Phase II from 16/03/2015 to 31/03/2015‎
Submission of a 500-word reflection paper for each book read during a specified period of time. ‎Applicants must avoid plagiarism.‎
Selection Process: from 13/04/2015 to 17/04/2015‎
The selection process is carried out by an assessment committee formed at the Lebanese ‎National Commission for UNESCO, and is made of two stages:‎
‎1. Screening and shortlisting of the candidates.‎
‎2. Oral interviews for the shortlisted candidates will be conducted to assess the quality of reading ‎and its influence on the reader’s thoughts and vision of the world. ‎
The announcement of the winners and the awards ceremony will take place under the ‎patronage of the Minister of Culture, in the framework of the national reading week, in the ‎end of April 2015.‎
Prizes:‎
‎1st Prize: 3.000.000 L.L.‎
‎2nd Prize: 2.250.000 L.L.‎
‎3rd Prize: 1.500.000 L.L.‎
Note: Cookbooks, poetry, astrology and religious books are not eligible.‎
For further information, kindly contact the Lebanese National Commission: 01-749105 ‎
‎(Mrs. Katia Ibrahim - Head Librarian and Activity Coordinator).

Good luck readers.




Cheers,




Isabelle

The Proof of Honey - Salwa Al Neimi برهان العسل - سلوى النعيمي

"The Proof of Honey" is a controversial book, famous for being erotically bold. I wasn't at all attracted by this literary genre (Although I hate classifications in general), but I was definitely very intrigued after knowing that the author is a contemporary Arab WOMAN. The only Arabic book in this genre I had read before and absolutely hated and hated myself for reading it was "Meryl Streep can suit herself" by Rachid Al Daif. Just saying, I started reading "The proof of Honey" with a lot of apprehension.

Plot wise, the book is not complicated: From the beginning we discern that a nameless Arab female narrator is taking us readers on a journey through her sexual adventures. But statement wise: this is huge! Most people in our Arab societies are not ready for it yet. Girls having sex and admitting it openly is a serious crime. The minimal sentence for such act is mental lapidation.

From a literary point of view, the author has a an exquisite pen and I'll post below some of her quotes to let you judge yourselves.

The story was also very dynamic: We have anecdotes about the various lovers, snapshots of the narrator's life in Paris. We also plunge into her librarian work and the research she is entrusted with and which fits perfectly with the theme of the book because it deals with Arabic literature and sex. We also travel with her on a voyage, and get introduced to stories of her acquaintances. To sum up, one is not bored at all while reading this book.

Adding to all the above mentioned "signs of a successful book" as I like to call them, was the fact that the author quoted many authors/ poets/ religious personalities and brilliantly incorporated these historical flashback parentheses in her manuscript.

The cherry on top of the cake for me was the novelty of some of the ideas and the all over the place feminist statements of her very strong female narrator when she for example declares that:

The book was excellent in every sense of the term and I highly recommend it for curious readers. Let me however warn you that there are some pretty steamy and bold descriptions of the main character's sex encounters. I did not however find them disgusting like the ones in the other book I mentioned earlier. In any case, sensitive souls better abstain.

To wrap up, I just wanted to draw your attention to the fact that this book has earned its author name calling and other preposterous accusations, judgements as well as insults, only because the narrator is a girl. The reviewers judged the author and not the book or the story attacking her with all the hideous connotations just because the narrator has a lifestyle that doesn't fit to the reviewers' standards (Reference available upon request). These same double standard reviewers never attacked just to give an example Rachid Al Daif's book even though the narrator's name was Rachoud. They did not confuse for some reason the author with the narrator. Also it seems that men are entitled to write and live as they please while women are to be figuratively damned for it. What a shameful and sick mentality! But what reason do we need more to read the book and praise it and piss them off?

Yours Truly,

Isabelle