The Last Day - New Edition

Hachette Antoine, under the Naufal imprint, is proud to present the towering works of Mikhail Naimy, one of the most prominent contemporary Arab writers and a leading figure among Lebanese diaspora writers. His writing is distinguished by its attempts to purify Arabic literature of embellishment and superfluous language, striving for a more realistic portrayal of things and events. His style is characterized by simplicity, clarity, and frankness, and by its avoidance of excessive expression, particularly in description, narration, and imagery. His language sometimes borders on colloquial Arabic, which further draws readers from all walks of life to his books. In this novel, Mikhail Naimy embodies the experience of a man who, at midnight, realizes that only forty hours remain of his life. Therefore, in this hour, Musa must remain silent, amidst the growing flames, torn between what he considered necessary before the fire and what is truly essential. He must seize what is essential and save himself before everything else is reduced to ashes.
In this context, Mikhail Naimy, with astonishing realism and masterful storytelling, recounts the miraculous events of those final twenty-four hours, which form the core of the entire book. This narrative is tested by death; indeed, as it enters the crucible of death, the dividing line in people's lives between what is truly false and what is genuine becomes perfectly clear. This collection of essays and short stories, written in his distinctive style and imbued with a luminous, contemplative spirit, addresses existential and social human issues in relation to the self and to life. It is presented within a framework of insightful thought, profound reflection, and a distinctive, unique, and engaging style, thus establishing him as a leading thinker and a globally influential figure.