In a more elegant manner, Rabih Alameddine wove his novel The Hawakti with rich and diverse background of the whole Middle East. The Hakawati is a novel which illustrates the diverse past of Arabs in the Middle East. This novel speaks back to the dehumanizing approach initiated by Americans, particularly after 9/11. By proposing to tell us a story, Alameddine deconstructs the reader’s expectations, and it is in this manner he/she is made aware of the plurality of interpretations that a single storytelling may offer. Stories usually evoke memories which have no borderlines. Also, using “listen” and “beyond imagining” in the first few words in the novel remind us that there can be no final answers or conclusions. Rabih Alameddine begins his novel by saying:
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The purpose, as it is set in the first few words of the novel, is primarily to take the reader on a fascinating journey journey that is definitely beyond imagining. With stories full of imps, jinis, adventurous poets, historical heroes, both Middle Eastern and Western fables, the reader is exposed to a world that is medieval, yet modern and sometimes postmodern. Alameddine delves deep to the ancient, medieval, and modern history of the Middle East as well. He delineated a history in an elegant manner, inviting the reader not to misunderstand but to explore. Hakawati in Arabic means a teller of tales, myths, and fables, an entertainer, a highly skilled storyteller, a liar or fibster. There is a long tradition of hakawati in Arabic culture. The word ‘hekayah’ in Arabic means a story, fable, news; hakawati is derived from the Arabic word ‘haki’. Hakawatis are people who gain money from telling stories with an aim to beguile the listeners. From its title, Alameddine’s novel announces its aim to tell stories. However, it is not simply about stories but rather about a project to cast the past afresh in front of the reader. The novel attempts to offer a matrix for the readers in order to
The purpose, as it is set in the first few words of the novel, is primarily to take the reader on a fascinating journey journey that is definitely beyond imagining. With stories full of imps, jinis, adventurous poets, historical heroes, both Middle Eastern and Western fables, the reader is exposed to a world that is medieval, yet modern and sometimes postmodern. Alameddine delves deep to the ancient, medieval, and modern history of the Middle East as well. He delineated a history in an elegant manner, inviting the reader not to misunderstand but to explore. Hakawati in Arabic means a teller of tales, myths, and fables, an entertainer, a highly skilled storyteller, a liar or fibster. There is a long tradition of hakawati in Arabic culture. The word ‘hekayah’ in Arabic means a story, fable, news; hakawati is derived from the Arabic word ‘haki’. Hakawatis are people who gain money from telling stories with an aim to beguile the listeners. From its title, Alameddine’s novel announces its aim to tell stories. However, it is not simply about stories but rather about a project to cast the past afresh in front of the reader. The novel attempts to offer a matrix for the readers in order to