Was What Was - New Edition

Hachette Antoine, under the Noufal imprint, exclusively publishes the works of Mikhail Naimy, one of the most prominent contemporary Arab writers and Lebanese diaspora writers. His writings are characterized by their attempts to purify Arabic literature of embellishments and superfluous language, and to draw closer to depicting the reality of things and events. His style is characterized by simplicity, clarity, and frankness, and by its avoidance of exaggeration, especially in description, narration, and imagery. His vocabulary sometimes seems closer to the colloquial dialect, which increases the desire of readers of all ages to read his books. These stories, from "The Barren Woman" to "Her New Year" and "The Bey's Happiness," all take place in the homeland or abroad, and revolve around the plagues, problems, and issues that are so vivid in life that they are suffered, confronted, and grappled with by local people who live their local identity from head to toe. However, Naimy, armed with that Russian realism with its humanistic psychological bent, is careful not to be a photographer in his art. Life only works through the living being, and it always works from the inside out. On the other hand, he does not remain with us as spectators. Rather, he brings us into the intimate inner world of his characters. We see through their eyes, feel their emotions, and suffer their suffering. We sense how each of them is ultimately a prisoner of their own inner self, struggling with problems they consider external, when in fact they are geniuses from within, and the key to their solution lies within them. Hachette Antoine Publishing House, under the imprint of "Naufal," stands out for its publication of the works of Mikhail Naimy, one of the most prominent contemporary Arab writers and Lebanese expatriate writers. His writings are characterized by attempts to purify Arabic literature from ornamentation and excessive speech, and to approach the depiction of the reality of things and events. His style is marked by simplicity, clarity, and frankness, and he avoids exaggeration, especially in description, narration, or depiction. His language sometimes appears closer to colloquial dialect, which increases the desire of readers of all ages to read his books.
These stories from “The Barren Woman” to “Her New Year”, “The Bey’s Joy” and others, all revolve around the homeland or the diaspora. They deal with the afflictions, problems, and issues of life that individuals, who live and breathe the local culture, face and struggle with.
However, Naimy, armed with that Russian realism with a psychological and humanistic direction, strives not to be a photographic recorder in his art, for life only works through the living being, and it always works from the inside out. On the other hand, he does not leave us as mere observers, but rather takes us into the intimate inner world of his characters, so we see through their eyes, feel their emotions, and suffer their sufferings. We see how each one of them is ultimately a captive of their internal makeup, so they struggle with problems they consider externally, while they are brilliant from within, and the key to their solution is in their own hands. His writings are characterized by attempts to purify Arabic literature from ornamentation and excessive speech, and to approach the depiction of the reality of things and events. His style is marked by simplicity, clarity, and frankness, and he avoids exaggeration, especially in description, narration, or depiction. His language sometimes appears closer to colloquial dialect, which increases the desire of readers of all ages to read his books.
These stories from “The Barren Woman” to “Her New Year”, “The Bey’s Joy” and others, all revolve around the homeland or the diaspora. They deal with the afflictions, problems, and issues of life that individuals, who live and breathe the local culture, face and struggle with.
However, Naimy, armed with that Russian realism with a psychological and humanistic direction, strives not to be a photographic recorder in his art, for life only works through the living being, and it always works from the inside out. On the other hand, he does not leave us as mere observers, but rather takes us into the intimate inner world of his characters, so we see through their eyes, feel their emotions, and suffer their sufferings. We realize how each of them is ultimately a captive of their internal makeup, so they struggle with problems they consider externally, while they are brilliant from within, and the key to their solution is in their own hands.