The Struggle of Two Women

Description

Just as in life, so too are the events in Hanna Mina’s novel “The Struggle of Two Women,” the second part of his novel “The Beggars’ Quarter.” The events unfold, interwoven with the colors of life: love, jealousy, patriotism, and sacrifice. With his engaging narrative style, Hanna Mina opens a window into history, revealing the story of the heroic Syrian struggle against the French colonizer and their supporters in Latakia.

In Latakia, the setting for the events, specifically in the Beggars’ Quarter, characters emerge, imbued by Hanna Mina with a wealth of human and patriotic qualities, allowing them to act naturally and create the atmosphere of the novel, a vibrant tapestry of action and vivid emotions that permeate these pages.

Hanna Mina continues the heroic journey of his protagonist, Hamdash, intertwined with dramatic events woven specifically by the characters of the wise Shakkous and Ghanouj. The names of his protagonists carry symbolic weight, defining their personalities. Two women vie for his affections, their entire focus on a single idea: winning Hamdash. It’s not his virility that draws them to him; it’s his heroism, his time in prison, his return to the neighborhood, his intention to kill Captain Roger, all the qualities he possesses as a man: a man of principle, a man of his word, loyalty, and love… love for whom? Shakkous says he loves him, Ghanouj says he loves him. The crucial question is, which of the two does Hamdash love? This is what he will decide later, after disciplining Sergeant Abu Jassim. Then comes the choice, Hamdash’s difficult one.