For the first time in English this important book on Khalil Hawi is now available with an introduction and notes. In addition to the translator's introduction and the English translation of the original thirty-one letters, this book includes (in Arabic) a poem dedicated to the memory of Hawi and a two-part article (in Arabic) that explains Hawi's poetic universe. There is also a personal biography of Hawi, the only such account dictated by Khalil Hawi himself. Hawi was a very private man. He guarded his privacy with extreme secrecy. What he chose to reveal of himself publicly was a very...

Throughout the better part of his brief life (1926-1964), Sayyab was haunted with the idea of death, the afterlife, mortality and immortality. At the end of his earthly journey, Badr made peace with himself, and thereby reconciled the two seemingly contradictory aspects of "Life" and "Death." He conquered death by humanizing it, mastering his fear of it, and by surrendering to his fate as the ultimate rest for an ailing and constantly deteriorating body. Although never an existentialist, Sayyab, at one point, entertained the idea of embracing "Existentialism," surmising that it might have the...

These hymns and poems were written between January 1975 and August 1976, mostly during the first year and a half of what has ironically been called the "Lebanese Civil War." The poetry and hymns in this book are an emotionally-charged document that reflects the state of mind of a young Lebanese poet madly in love with Beirut and Lebanon during the seventies when Lebanon was an oasis of fun and was bursting with creativity and positive energy on all fronts: literary, social, economic and political. Beirut was the major capital of literary production in the Middle East. The poetry in this book...

This concise book on Gibran is meant to be a quick but informative read that affords the Gibran scholar and student alike some useful information that may not be easily available, and if so, is buried in the midst of the massive volumes of biographies and criticism on Gibran. The title is intended to raise questions about scholarship pertaining to Gibran's life and to query certain critics about the authenticity of their information and sources.The book is divided into six chapters: three are in English and three are in Arabic. I have also included my translation into English of the original...

Love Surpassed bespeaks of a state of mixed blessings, a state of ultimate and extreme emotions where you stand face to face against a multitude of uncontrolled and raw feelings able to sway you in either direction, towards safety or towards the abyss. This is a place of uncharted territory where you experience love in its purest and undefiled form. Love can offer absolute bliss, redemption and ecstasy or it can bring forth the ultimate tragedy: annihilation, self-sacrifice, and melancholy. Love can lift you up to a "Higher Innocence" and absolve you and baptize you in the waters of the Holy...

This book contains twelve selected essays in English and two translations of individual poems by Mahmoud Darwish and 'Abd al-Wahhab al-Bayati. The essays were written for various purposes. In addition, they were written in different places and under different circumstances. Some were delivered as lectures, and some were read at conferences, but all were published in different magazines, blogs, or journals. However, at the insistence of friends and colleagues here in the United States and in Lebanon, I was encouraged to collect them in one volume and make them all readily available. Given the...

Al-Rihani's book, The Muleteer and the Priest, summarizes his position on the clergy and their role. Placed in its proper historical context, this novella is revolutionary in its content, topic and message. It is clear that the muleteer, the immigrant returning from America, is the mouthpiece for the author himself, while the priest stands for all the clergy. In this book, al-Rihani emerges as a social and religious reformer at his best. He ultimately helps Father Yusuf to redeem himself and become a true and enlightened human being, spiritually elevated and morally correct.The muleteer, a...

Although seemingly unrelated, the three Arabic articles in this book focus on one major theme: they relate the journey of the Lebanese hero in diaspora and at home, his quest for a permanent peace, and his ongoing saga that chronicles the legend of his unreachable dream and promised victory. This book takes you on a journey from the bitter, but enduring experience, of spreading the Arabic alphabet in New York to the inevitability of baptism, sacrifice and total redemption in the "River of Ashes" where a new civilization is expected to be born, and ultimately, to the final triumph embodied in...

This book is a basic, direct and self-guided handbook to learn Levantine dialect. It is a simple, easy to use textbook for both the motivated student and teacher alike. It is useful for beginners with no knowledge of Arabic and for those who have had about a semester or two of either dialect or MSA. It is particularly helpful for people who are going to travel to the Levant for the first time or those who have lived there for a while and need to master and reinforce what they have learned. The book is designed for foreign students who have little or no knowledge of Arabic, formal or informal....