Almost light

This novel, which I have the honor of submitting, is the well-deserved winner of the first prize in the Diwan Al-Arab Novel Competition for the year 2010. The judges saw - unanimously, and through the various stages of judging - that it is a truly distinguished creative adventure, on the levels of form and content, which qualifies it to take the lead. the scene. There is a brilliant talent in the novel characterized by maturity and richness, and complete possession of the writing tools in terms of dramatic structure, storytelling technique, narration style, and the language of storytelling. It contains an awareness of life and narrative experience at the same time, and an amazing sensitivity to employing all the elements of the experience in the fabric of the text in harmony, harmony, and harmony. From the first glance, you feel that you are facing a very precise work of fiction, which takes you - through a stream of memories and repercussions - into its world slowly, mixing the past with the present, the constant with the variable, the immediate with the future, and the subjective with the universal, in an alloy of what is most beautiful and what is breathtaking with Soften it and purify its essence. The Palestinian wound is the flesh and warp of this narrative experience, in which the nightmare of the occupation and its shameful crimes are mixed with brutal imprisonment, daily oppression, deprivation of identity, and attacks on truth and history, and the torments of diaspora and alienation are mixed with the search for a lost homeland, buried heritage, childhood memories, and a vibrant youth. In the arteries of memory. But - and this is another characteristic of excellence - despite all this constant bleeding, the breathless journey through time and space, the frequent loss of everything that is dear and beloved, and the distortion that the reality of the occupation causes in the soul, spirit and conscience, there is a magic touch that attracts you to immerse yourself in it. In this experiment, And engaging with its minutes and details, and feeling the pleasure of moving through its facts and events. It is the secret of art and the essence of authentic creativity, which makes us enjoy experiencing pain with perseverance and determination to reach the peak. The moderate drinker of bliss - as the famous American poet Emily Dickinson says - does not deserve the fountain. Dr. Ibrahim Saad El-Din, Director of Foreign Relations at Diwan Al-Arab