أحسن أيامك سماع كلامك

by سلام الراسي

413 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2001

About the author

Salam Al Rassi was a Lebanese writer who created his own genre of folk literature.
He was born in the small village of Ibl Al Saqi in Southern Lebanon. His father was a church pastor and the founder and headmaster of Al-Funoon School in Sidon. Salam had 13 siblings. Although his mother wanted to become a pastor, he spent his life in civil service and political activism instead, before he started writing at the age of sixty.
He is credited with the creation of his own genre of folk literature (الأدب الشعبي), where his 16 books are composed of short stories, essays and commentaries, depicting traditional Lebanese village life and exploring the origins of proverbs, idioms, and folk tales. He was interested in recording oral history from the perspectives of ordinary people, and their relationships with politics, governments and rulers.

Al Rassi wrote in his unique blend of formal classic Arabic and local (mostly rural) dialects. He also appeared in his own television show in the 1980's-1990's, called Al Adab Al Shaabi (الأدب الشعبي).