Literary representations of Lebanon gathered together in book form

BEIRUT: We all know about the armies that tussled over Lebanon through the centuries; a new anthology shows that as many writers have tried to capture the country in words. “Lebanon: Through Writers’ Eyes,” compiled by husband-and-wife team Ted Gorton and Andree Feghali Gorton, unites a plethora of texts about the country. The earliest extract comes from the writings of Sinuhe, a minor official during Egypt’s Middle Kingdom, around 1875 BC, who settled in the Bekaa Valley after fleeing disgrace in his homeland.

Sinuhe’s description could have been written today: “Figs were in it and grapes, and its wine was more abundant than its water. Plentiful was its honey, many were its olives; all manner of fruits were upon its trees.”

Contemporary writings include extracts from Hoda Barakat’s book “The Stone of Laughter” and the poems of Nadia Tueni.

Between these temporal extremes lies all manner of literary response, divided into sub-section such as “Identities,” “Wars” and “Travelers from the West.”

All the writers one might expect are included – Kahlil Gibran, Robert Fisk, Amin Maalouf and Michel Chiha.

There are also some surprises. An extract from Mark Twain’s book “Innocents Abroad” describes the American author’s escapades in Baalbek and Beirut. A slice of Homer’s “Odyssey” features an encounter with “a Sidonian lady of hard-tried virtue.”

Travel journalists over the globe are urging their readers to visit Lebanon; the country is once again the hip destination of the moment. “Lebanon” provides a fascinating glimpse into how writers have represented the area throughout history, in the good times and the bad. – The Daily Star

Article Source:dailystar.com.lb