The White Ebony

Description

This is a collection of short stories published in Syrian and Lebanese newspapers and magazines, dating from after 1969, with the exception of two stories, “The Fire” (1949) and “The Oak Ember” (1956), which he later compiled into a book.

The collection consists of ten stories:

The White Ebony: An invitation to rebel against routine and life’s constraints, and to live freely and recklessly.

Writing on Sacks: Hanna depicts the difficult circumstances that characterized his childhood, and how malnutrition made him a thin boy incapable of strenuous physical work. When he felt the need to help his impoverished family, he went to the port, where he discovered his inability to lift sacks, and felt distressed. When the need arose to write simple information on the sacks, the “master” chose him because he was skilled at writing. The story recounts that when he met his “mentor” in Damascus after many years, accompanied by a friend who knew them both, the friend told the teacher: “Hanna is a well-known writer today.” The simple man replied: “Yes, I know. He started writing with me, on sacks!”

The Tragedy of Dimitro: A psychological dialogue of a young man who has fallen in love and is trying to rid himself of this love and his beloved’s smile. The Tragedy of Dimitro (a novel), which he later wrote as a standalone novel.

Recommendation Card: The story of a needy man named Abd, and how he is humiliated at the doors of ministers in order to obtain a job.

Letter from My Mother: A young girl sits with her grandmother to write a letter to her uncle. After being beaten and insulted by her grandmother, she comically begs her uncle not to appear in newspapers or on television and not to write letters to his mother because she bears the burden of all that when she replies.

Tobacco Box: A journalist who has fled a coup in his country hides his identity from the society around him and describes how those around him dealt with his anonymity. Writer: The story of a writer taken to the courthouse to face a judge on a minor charge. It explores the conditions in the courts, the types of cases, the treatment, and the practice of being held in custody while awaiting trial.

Fire: When you insist on demanding your most basic rights, simply to improve the working conditions in your deplorable workplace, and someone tries to deny you those rights to save money for their employer.

This is what remains of him: When you are a stranger, awaiting the death of a loved one, with no brother, sister, or father by your side, when you encounter someone who speaks your language and shares your pain and alienation, you find someone to whom you can confide your worries and sorrows.

Oak ember: The oak tree never goes out; it remains burning until it is completely consumed. And so it is with free men; no matter their age, they remain like an oak ember.