Rabih Alameddine Knihy

The novel explores Sarah's journey of self-discovery amidst the complexities of her hybrid family and the backdrop of wartime Beirut. As she navigates her life in self-imposed exile in the United States, she sheds layers of pretension, revealing her authentic self. Supported by a close friend and her son, Sarah embraces both her dignity and the fragmented nature of her existence. The narrative is imbued with humor and heartache, presenting a poignant and memorable exploration of humanity. A reading group guide is also included.

WINNER OF THE PEN/FAULKNER AWARD FOR FICTION 2022. 'A beautiful, well paced, enraging, funny and heartbreaking book' - The Guardian. 'Spectacular . . . deeply poignant' - New York Times. Mina Simpson, a Lebanese doctor, arrives at the Moria refugee camp in Lesbos, Greece, after being called by a friend who runs an NGO. Distanced from her family except for her brother, Mina has long avoided her homeland. With a week off work and separated from her wife of thirty years, she seeks to make a meaningful impact among the many Western volunteers. Soon, a boat arrives carrying Sumaiya, a determined Syrian matriarch battling terminal liver cancer. She hides her diagnosis from her family, fiercely protecting them. As Mina and Sumaiya bond over this secret, Mina prepares a treatment plan with limited resources while grappling with the broader issues of displacement and her own limitations in providing aid. This narrative introduces a compelling heroine, leading readers through one of today's most pressing humanitarian crises. Alameddine skillfully intertwines stories of other refugees, creating a vibrant tapestry of tragic yet humorous portraits of resilient spirits. 'Alameddine hits a distinctly contemporary note with this new book about refugees . . . it feels totally authentic' - Sunday Times.

'The Hakawati' - or, 'The Storyteller' - is a sweeping, wildly imaginative feast of a novel, bursting with the myths of the Middle East. At its emotional core is the reunion of a long-standing Beiruti family, whose patriarch is dying and visited on his deathbed by his children and by memories of his ancestors. Rabih Alameddine tells their stories - of crusades and battles; chicanery, betrayal and sex; family rivalry, family disunity and family life - and spins them together with the historical stories of the region, but with a twist. Born in Beirut, living in San Francisco, and writing in English, Alameddine not only spans both Western and Middle-Eastern culture, but does so as one of the most mischievous and inventive writers at work.

"Aaliya Sohbi lives alone in her Beirut apartment, surrounded by stockpiles of books. Godless, fatherless, childless, and divorced, Aaliya is her family's 'unnecessary appendage.' Every year, she translates a new favorite book into Arabic, then stows it away. The thirty-seven books that Aaliya has translated over her lifetime have never been read-- by anyone. After overhearing her neighbors, 'the three witches, ' discussing her too-white hair, Aaliya accidentally dyes her hair too blue. In this breathtaking portrait of a reclusive woman's late-life crisis, readers follow Aaliya's digressive mind as it ricochets across visions of past and present Beirut. Colorful musings on literature, philosophy, and art are invaded by memories of the Lebanese Civil War and Aaliya's own volatile past. As she tries to overcome her aging body and spontaneous emotional upwellings, Aaliya is faced with an unthinkable disaster that threatens to shatter the little life she has left"-- from publisher's web site

Following the critical and commercial success of An Unnecessary Woman, Alameddine delivers a spectacular portrait of a man and an era of profound political and social upheaval.

"Hakawati. Il cantore di storie" di Rabih Alameddine è un caso letterario: sia perché l'autore, giordano, di origine libanese apre una finestra su un mondo problematico; sia perché, mantenendo un alto livello di qualità letteraria, Alameddine, al suo terzo romanzo, riesce a mettere a confronto l'arte dello storytelling di tradizione araba con la cultura americana che il protagonista e l'autore hanno assorbito per molti anni. Nel romanzo, il protagonista, Osama al-Kharrat, lascia nel 2003 gli Stati Uniti, dove vive da tempo, per recarsi al capezzale del padre a Beirut. E se scopre la sua città natale irrimediabilmente cambiata, trova invece intatti gli affetti famigliari e il modo di comunicarli attraverso le storie. Cantastorie di professione era infatti il nonno di Osama, e le avventure del suo arrivo in Libano dalla Turchia si mescolano a quelle dei principi delle Crociate come pure ai pettegolezzi della vita di tutti i giorni.