City Gates

by Elias Khoury, Paula Haydar (Translator)

City Gates was first published in Arabic in 1981, and in English in 1993. It is a further exploration of the themes of exile, dislocation, and identity. Elias Khoury's early works show him finding the distinctive voice that explodes in his epic Gate of the Sun .

A stranger arrives at the gates of a city from which everyone appears to have fled. The once besieged and now deserted city is Beirut. City Gates is a fable of displacement and a visionary tale about the consequences of civil war in the Middle East.

Genres: Fiction, Novels, Classics, Lebanon

104 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1981

About the author

Elias Khoury was a Lebanese novelist and public intellectual. His novels and literary criticism have been translated into several languages. In 2000, he won the Prize of Palestine for his book Gate of the Sun, and he won the Al Owais Award for fiction writing in 2007. Khoury has also written three plays and two screenplays.

Reviews

[Ketevan Shughliashvili · Rating 4 out of 5]

ეს ის წიგნია, თითოეული გვერდი ღვინისფერ ზღვაში გაბრუებულს ღრმად რომ გითრევს, იქამდე, სანამ ელიას ხურის ტკივილი არ დაგახრჩობს.
აუცილებელია, რომ კითხვისას "ათას ერთ ღამეში" აღწერილი სპილენძის ქალაქის ამბის ბურუსში გაეხვოთ, მერე კი ბეირუთის სამოქალაქო ომის ამბავს გაეცნოთ. ამის მერე ასე თუ ისე მზად იქნებით ამ ზედმეტად უცნაური ამბის წასაკითხად. თქვენ წარმოიდგინეთ და ერთხელაც არ არის ნახსენები არც ბეირუთი, არც ომი, არადა მთელი წიგნი ამაზეა...

მაგრამ ვერ დაგვპირდებით, რომ ყველაფერს გაიგებთ, რადგან ეს პატარა წიგნი ყველაფრითაა გაჟღენთილი.
ალბათ ეს ამბავი აპოკალიფსური მომავლის უსახელო წინასწარმეტყველებას, ბეკშინსკის ხელოვნებასაც ჰგავდა.
მოკლედ, ჩვენი, უცხო, ყარიბი კაცი ამქვეყნად ღმერთის ანუ ჭეშმარიტებისკენ მიმავალ გზაზე უკან ერთხელაც კი არ იხედება. ეგ გზაც კოშმარია, თავისუფლების დესტრუქციული შედეგი, რომელიც საბოლოოდ საოცრად სრულდება-
"აღარაფერი დარჩენილიყო ქალაქიდამ, მტირალი ხმების გარდა, თევზთა შიგნეულობიდან რომ გამოდიოდა და ადიოდა მაღლა, სადაც ის არავის ესმოდა."

მოკლედ, ამ გზაზე მიაღწია თუ არა საბოლოო მიზანს ეგ მამაზეციერმა და მკითხველმა ცალ-ცალკე უნდა გადაწყვიტონ.
წიგნი კი წაკითხვად ღირს, რათა მომავალში (მუსლიმური ესქატოლოგიის მიხედვით) ღულმა არ აგვიტაცოს იმ უდაბნოში, სადაც სიცოცხლე მკვდარ მეფეს ჰგავს.
კოშმარში მოგზაურობაა ქალაქის კარიბჭეები...
წარმატებები ყველას ამ მოგზაურობაზე.

[Farah Ghazi · Rating 4 out of 5]

رواية لكنها ليست رواية بالمعنى التقليدي، لا توجد حبكة واضحة أو سير أحداث منظم بل هي هذيان شاعري.
رواية عن بيروت والحرب، لكن طيلة الرواية لم يقل هاتين الكلمتين قط. لقد دار حول الثيم بمصطلحاته ومفرداته الشخصية.
لا أظن أن الجميع سيستسيغ هذا العمل، بل على العكس قد يقابل بالرفض. ولكنني كلبنانية لم تعش الحرب الأهلية لكن شهدت حروبًا حديثة أستطيع أن أفهم ما كتبه خوري ها هنا.
المتن الأخير لكمال بلاطة مهم، وكونه أسهم ايضًا في الغلاف والرسومات فهذا ما يجعل كل ذلك أكثر إتقانًا.

[أحمد السعدني · Rating 1 out of 5]

مش فاهم حاجة من الرواية.
بس بحب إلياس خوري.

[Davit Oniani · Rating 2 out of 5]

33/200 - "ქალაქის კარიბჭეები"

ლიბანელი მწერლის ელიას ხურის ნაწარმოები, რომელიც 1981 წელს დაწერა. პოსტ-მოდერნისტული ლიტერატურის კარგი ნიმუშია.

სანამ კითხვას დავიწყებდი არც ელიას ხური ვიცოდი ვინ იყო და არც ის თუ როგორი შეიძლებოდა ყოფილიყო ლიბანური ლიტერატურა. თითქოს, ჰედაიათის "ბრმა ბუ"-ს ვკითხულობდი, მაგრამ უარეს ვერსიას.

დასაწყისში, წინასიტყვაობაში, მთარგმნელები და გამომცემლები გვაფრთხილებენ და გვიყვებიან ცოტას ბეირუთზე და გასული საუკუნის მეორე ნახევარში იქ დატრიალებულ უბედურებებზე. ჩვენც ვხვდებით რო წიგნი ბეირუთზეა.

ერთი, რაც მომეწონა წიგნში და ამ უცხო, ყარიბი კაცის ოდისეაში იყო ის, რო ბევრ დეტალს ჩემებურად აღვიქვამდი და ეგ მაკაიფებდა მაგრად. ბეირუთზე რო იყო ეგ ვერ გავიაზრე მაინც კარგად, მაგრამ ის ტკივილი, სევდა და შიში კარგად დავინახე.

რივიუებს გადავხედე და ერთი ტიპი წერს, რო მთელი წიგნი მეგონა კაიფში ვიყავიო და კი ეგრეა. აზრზე ვერ მოდიხარ რა ხდება.

ათას ერთ ღამესთან აქვს წიგნს კავშირი და ეგეც თავისებურ ელფერს სძენს.

2/5, ისეთი წიგნია რა, რო ამის წაკითხვის რეკომენდაციას ვერ გასცემ. წიგნი, რაზეც უნდა ყოფილიყო, ყველაზე ნაკლებად იყო იმაზე (ბეირუთზე და ამ ამბებზე უნდა ყოფილიყო, მარა სრულიად სხვანაირად ვხედავდი) ჩემთვის, და ეგეც ალბათ მინუსია ნაწარმოების.

[Rise · Rating 1 out of 5]

A stranger enters an abandoned city. He meets some deranged characters. His adventures are surreal and illogical, like dream sequences. There really is no plot to speak of. The text is full of symbolism about the dire consequences of nuclear war or some epidemic. The images used, however, are gratuitous; the narrative style most irritating.

It’s something like a hyper-poetic apocalyptic book that relies too much on effects and the manipulation of language. The effects slide into false imagery. It's one of the worst books I’ve read in a long time. Don't see for yourself.

[Fatimah AlZohairy · Rating 5 out of 5]

مقلل من قدرها بشكل كبير جدا!
الكتابة شعرية و في الواقع ذكرتني ب واحد كل الآخرين الى ملاك لطيف.
تضيع بين الرجل و النساء السبع و الرجل الغريب و الملك و أبواب المدينة و المرض و الموت و أهم شي، الخوف.

[Obeida Takriti · Rating 2 out of 5]

كانت قراءة الرواية صعباً مقارنة بروايات إلياس الأخرى..
إلا أنها كغيرها تجعلك تفكّر وتتأمل حياتك وحياة من حولك..

[zeinab · Rating 3 out of 5]

تيه

[Heidi Polk Issa · Rating 4 out of 5]

If Little Mountain sought to make sense of the beginnings of the Lebanese civil war, then City Gates stands as Elias Khoury’s mythologized vision of how Beirut might reconstruct herself after the devastation and destruction has ceased.
A solitary man enters a barricaded and deserted city. Wandering through the empty streets, he encounters visions that he tries to understand, in the hopes that it will give him a key to his own destiny.

As in Little Mountain, Khoury relies on repetitive dialogue and action to elicit the understanding of the reader and the themes of fractured identity, loss, the painful consequences of carnage and displacement are explored fully throughout. Khoury only uses one narrator within this work, but the work itself is thoroughly grounded within the structure of a story – a nod not only to the Arabic traditions of storytelling, but perhaps a safe medium through which to explore such horror. The language is evocative and beautifully written (I feel a pang that I have to read a translation as I’m sure the original Arabic version is even more wonderful).

It seems like it only takes a moment to read, yet the journey the reader experiences is incredible…

[Matthew · Rating 1 out of 5]

Don't really know what to say about this one, save that I definitely did not enjoy it. Felt like if I had been on drugs the entire time, maybe I could have tolerated it. Thankfully, it was short. Yikes.

[Pink · Rating 5 out of 5]

A poetic fable. People confused by it were never promised a straight novel.
Mirrors the delirium of the Lebanese civil war as Khoury has always done well.
Read this book to feel and understand that, not if looking for a plot-driven story.

[Jack Rousseau · Rating 5 out of 5]

According to Joseph Campbell, "Myths are public dreams, dreams are private myths." From the many mythologies of the many cultures that make up our world, we have learned to recognize the mythic language (its archetypes and iconography). When the mythic language is understood, one learns to derived allegories, morals, lessons. Some believe that dreams can be understood the same way, albeit encrypted by a language so personal that only the individual can fully decipher their meaning.
There are many ways to read City Gates (this is true of most texts, but especially true of a text like City Gates), but it may be most beneficial to read City Gates as something between a dream and a myth. The framework is undeniably mythic, but the archetypes and iconography therein seem specific to an individual or a culture unknown to me.
As a result, the allegory, moral, or lesson is lost on me (they will undoubtedly be lost on anyone seeking the neat and tidy coherence of the typical Western narrative). The question becomes, should a text be fully understood to be appreciated? Of course the language must be understood to be comprehended, but whether or not the message imparted by the language must be fully comprehended for the reader's enjoyment is something to be decided on an individual basis.
Suffice to say, if your mornings are spent in consternation at the impenetrability of your dreams, you may not enjoy this text; but if you delight in musing over dreams (deciphering meaning or attributing your own meaning - which, invariably, is the same thing because all meaning is attributed), this may be the book for you.

[Zach Hitt · Rating 4 out of 5]

In City Gates, Elias Khoury experiments with prose and pacing in this 97 page story. Although this isn't my usual style, I can appreciate what Khoury tried to do with this work. Many parts are unclear/confusing or at least (VERY) open to interpretation. However, where Khoury is clear, he hits the nail on the head. Most of the text is written in what feels like a nightmare sequence describing the aftermath of a Beirut warzone. In some way, you get a sense of what people "on the ground" feel like after such horror.

I'm giving this book four stars because:
1. The translation work seems like it is excellent. Lots of beautifully horrific imagery that was less about traumatizing the reader and more about providing the audience with a specific feeling.
2. It was short. I know this might sound weird, but if you're going to do something obscure, in my opinion short and sweet is (almost always) the way to go.
3. Reading this piece made me want to research the subject matter, which I probably wouldn't have done organically.
4. Reading this piece interested me in more of Khoury's work. Even though this type of writing isn't "my thing," Khoury is clearly an accomplished, able artist. I'd be curious to know if he's made anything that's a little more standard.

[Salomé McSmith · Rating 1 out of 5]

When I picked it up I saw the book review read that it is written in a postmodern style, which showcases the author's writing abilities. Even though I was warned about "the author's writing abilities", I still ventured into and ended up in its complicated verbal thicket. City Gates is one of Elyas Khury's early writings and the author himself does not like talking about this book. I had the feeling I was reading an extremely personal account from a diary full of atrocious war images which are only alluded. I only on-starred it because I did not enjoy reading this highly allusive plot. If I ever decide reading one of his books, I will surely pick out his later writings.

[Derek · Rating 5 out of 5]

"The city is women, and the men are drowning in the sea."

The entirety of this book is dreamlike and surreal. I found the story captivating.

[Asmaa Merdi · Rating 5 out of 5]

ألف صورة وصورة، عانيت لأسيطر على خيالي من الإفلات في التفكير بالاستعارات، إلياس خوري حكاؤنا الأول والأخير.
ومن طبعة دار الآداب، رسوم كمال بلاطة لها خمسة نجوم أيضًا.

[Gabby · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really tried with this book but just couldn't finish it. It was really weird

[Sarah Alsubaie · Rating 3 out of 5]

حلم طويل

[Darryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

In this early novella by the acclaimed Lebanese author, a wandering man travels to a faraway city in order to lead a life of luxury, surrounded by beautiful mistresses and provided with the finest clothes and perfumes. However, when he arrives to the walled city of Beirut he is unable to find a proper entrance. After an extensive search, he eventually encounters several young and mysterious women, each of whom offer to permit him to enter the city alone, and to meet him inside at the city square. After initially refusing these gestures, he eventually agrees to the gesture from the last woman that he meets. Once inside, he discovers that the city is nearly deserted, and that the town square is bare, except for the coffin of the deceased king and the sounds of wailing from an unknown source. He is unable to find any of the women he met previously, and after walking aimlessly in circles, he cannot find a way out of the town or anyone who can help him. He decides to return to the square, where he eventually meets the women and the entombed king, who share stories about what has happened to the town, and themselves.

I found City Gates to be an easy and pleasurable book to read, but I didn't fully understand the message that Khoury was trying to convey.

[Eric · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disturbing, frightening journey through the ghosts and apparitions of war-torn Lebanon. The book is a confusion of voices, time sequences, floating figures, changing points-of-view, despair and tunnels of darkness. It's like being in a dream, page-by-page, waiting for a glimpse of clarity or for the nightmare to end. But it doesn't. A lynchpin of modern, Arabic fiction writing, but definitely difficult - technically - and heavy to read.

[Christopher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Surreal, psychedelic and rhythmic language.

[Reema Hudaib · Rating 2 out of 5]

نص هذياني لغته لطيفة.

[Nihad · Rating 2 out of 5]

حالة كالهذيان، ربما احلام او كوابيي او خواطر، لكنها ليست بالرواية المعتادة

[Dihya · Rating 1 out of 5]

wut???