كان ما كان - طبعة جديدة - Was What Was

تتفرّد دار هاشيت أنطوان، تحت دمغة نوفل، بنشر أعمال ميخائيل نعيمه، وهو أحد أبرز الأدباء العرب المعاصرين وأدباء المهجر اللبنانيين. تتميّز كتاباته بمحاولات تنقية الأدب العربي من الزخارف والكلام الزائد، والاقتراب من تصوير واقع الأشياء والأحداث. وقد انطبع أسلوبه بالبساطة والوضوح والصراحة، وببعده عن المبالغة، لا سيّما في الوصف أو السرد أو التصوير، كما تبدو ألفاظه أقرب إلى اللّهجة العاميّة أحيانًا، ما يزيد رغبة القرّاء، من كلّ الأعمار، في مطالعة كتبه. هذه القصص من "العاقر" إلى "سنتها الجديدة" و"سعادة البيك" وغيرها تدور جميعًا في الوطن أو في المهجر. وحول آفات ومشكلات وقضايا نابغة من الحياة يعانيها أو يواجهها ويتخبّط فيها أشخاص هم محلّيون يحيون محلّيتهم من قمّة الرأس الى الأخمصين. لكنّ نعيمه المسلّح بتلك الواقعية الروسية ذات الاتّجاه السيكولوجيّ الإنسانيّ يحرص ألّا يكون مصوّرًا فوتوغرافيًّا في فنّه. فالحياة لا تعمل إلّا من خلال الكائن الحيّ، وهي أبدًا تعمل من داخل إلى خارج. إنّه من جهة أخرى لا يبقى ولا يُبقينا معه متفرّجين. بل يُدخلنا إلى العالم الداخليّ الحميم لشخصيّاته، فنرى بعيونها ونحسّ بأحاسيسها ونعاني معاناتها، ونلمس كيف أنّ كلًّا منها هو في النهاية أسير تكوّنِه الذاتيّ الداخليّ بحيث يتخبّط بمشكلات يحسبها خارجيّة، في حين أنّها نابغة من الداخل ومفتاح حلّها بيده. 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 perceive how each one of them is ultimately a captive of their internal makeup, so they struggle with problems they consider external, while they are brilliant from within, and the key to their solution is in their own hands.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 perceive how each one of them is ultimately a captive of their internal makeup, so they struggle with problems they consider external, while they are brilliant from within, and the key to their solution is in their own hands.