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Leaving Beirut
A twelve-year-old girl writes an essay that extols revenge to impress her teacher, and is surprised to receive criticism rather than praise. ‘Revenge’, Mrs Nomy insists, is ‘the most cowardly’ human behaviour.
Years later, having fled Beirut, she reflects upon the devastating role revenge has played in her country. Might she have found it so easy to forgive if she had stayed? Or might she, too, have contemplated retribution?
A compelling and humane book, which abounds in courage and compassion.
Mai Ghoussoub, artist, author and playwright, left Beirut for London in 1979, where she co-founded Saqi Books. Her art has been exhibited internationally, and her play Texterminators was performed in London, Liverpool and Beirut in 2006. Her many publications include Imagined Masculinities, with Emma Sinclair-Webb, and Artists and Vitrines, with Shaheen Merali. Her stories have appeared in Hikayat: Short Stories by Lebanese Women and Lebanon, Lebanon. She was a regular contributor to al-Hayat and openDemocracy.
Years later, having fled Beirut, she reflects upon the devastating role revenge has played in her country. Might she have found it so easy to forgive if she had stayed? Or might she, too, have contemplated retribution?
A compelling and humane book, which abounds in courage and compassion.
Mai Ghoussoub, artist, author and playwright, left Beirut for London in 1979, where she co-founded Saqi Books. Her art has been exhibited internationally, and her play Texterminators was performed in London, Liverpool and Beirut in 2006. Her many publications include Imagined Masculinities, with Emma Sinclair-Webb, and Artists and Vitrines, with Shaheen Merali. Her stories have appeared in Hikayat: Short Stories by Lebanese Women and Lebanon, Lebanon. She was a regular contributor to al-Hayat and openDemocracy.
- GenresLebanonNonfiction
192 pages, Paperback
First published February 14, 2001
1 person is currently reading
132 people want to read
About the author
Mai Ghoussoub
5 books8 followersGhoussoub was born in Beiruit, where her father, Raymond Ghoussoub, a Maronite Christian Arab, was a professional footballer. She studied at the French lycée in Beirut, then math at the American University of Beirut and French literature at the Lebanese University, and later sculpture at Morley College and the Henry Moore Studio in London.
She was a Trotskyite at the start of the Lebanese Civil War in 1975, but soon became disillusioned and moved on to humanitarian work, establishing two medical dispensaries in a poor Muslim area after the doctors had left and the pharmacies had closed.
She lost an eye in 1977, after her car was hit by a shell while taking someone to hospital. She moved to London to be treated, and spent time in Paris, where she worked as a journalist for Arab newspapers. She wrote Comprendre le Liban with her childhood friend André Gaspard, under the pseudonyms Selim Accaoui and Magida Salman.
In 1979, she founded the Al Saqi bookshop in Westbourne Grove, London, with Gaspard, the first London bookshop to specialise in Arabic works. They began to publish works in Arabic in 1983. They sold the Serpent's Tail imprint to Pete Ayrton in 1987, but continued with the Saqi and Telegram imprints. An Arabic publishing house, Dar al-Saqi, was founded in Beirut in 1990.
She was a feminist, publishing works on a range of controversial issues and producing challenging artistic installations. She married twice. She married the Lebanese writer Hazem Saghieh in 1991.
Her autobiographical book, Leaving Beirut: women and the wars within, was published in 1998. She was passionately opposed to censorship, arguing in her 2006 play Texterminators, performed at the Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith and Dominion Theatre in London, the Unity Theatre, Liverpool, and the Marignan Theatre in Beirut, that "Words don't kill; humans do."
She was a Trotskyite at the start of the Lebanese Civil War in 1975, but soon became disillusioned and moved on to humanitarian work, establishing two medical dispensaries in a poor Muslim area after the doctors had left and the pharmacies had closed.
She lost an eye in 1977, after her car was hit by a shell while taking someone to hospital. She moved to London to be treated, and spent time in Paris, where she worked as a journalist for Arab newspapers. She wrote Comprendre le Liban with her childhood friend André Gaspard, under the pseudonyms Selim Accaoui and Magida Salman.
In 1979, she founded the Al Saqi bookshop in Westbourne Grove, London, with Gaspard, the first London bookshop to specialise in Arabic works. They began to publish works in Arabic in 1983. They sold the Serpent's Tail imprint to Pete Ayrton in 1987, but continued with the Saqi and Telegram imprints. An Arabic publishing house, Dar al-Saqi, was founded in Beirut in 1990.
She was a feminist, publishing works on a range of controversial issues and producing challenging artistic installations. She married twice. She married the Lebanese writer Hazem Saghieh in 1991.
Her autobiographical book, Leaving Beirut: women and the wars within, was published in 1998. She was passionately opposed to censorship, arguing in her 2006 play Texterminators, performed at the Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith and Dominion Theatre in London, the Unity Theatre, Liverpool, and the Marignan Theatre in Beirut, that "Words don't kill; humans do."
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
December 26, 2009
مصادفة " مفيدة " أن أقرأ كتاب مي غصوب هذا بعد ( الهويات القاتلة ) لأمين معلوف , إذا حديثه عن أن الإنتماءات أحياناً تسبب في كوارث وحروب وجاء " وداعاً بيروت " ليثبت هذا الكلام من خلال أيضاً تجربة شخصية للكاتبة التي عانت من الحرب الأهلية في لبنان بين المسيح والمسلمين تحدثت بشكل موسع عن الإنتقام و أثره على نمط سيـــّر الحياة وتكوين الشخصية وراحة من عاصر مثل تلك الحروب حول العالم إبتدأ الكتاب بقصة كتبتها مي غصوب الطالبه ( كتبت قصة عن فتاة تريد الثأر من أصدقائها ) والنقد اللاذع الذي وجهته معلّمتها التي أرادت من التوبيخ أن يكون عبرة تسير عليها ميّ طالبتها النجيبة ما تبقى لها من حياة ,كان مؤلف مي غصوب أقرب لبحث عن جدوى الثأر و نتائجه على البشر و طريقة معاقبة من يرتكب جرم في حق الإنسانية تناولت أقوال أرندت وبريخت و بريمو ليفي و أحداث محكمة نورمبورغ , ونهاية الكتاب كانت فيه رسالة للسيدة نومي تلك المعلمة التي جعلت عينيّ الطفلة تتفحص الأشياء بشكل مختلف وخصوصاً تلك المشاعر التي تسيطر أحياناً حتى على قرارات أيِ كان وتفقده جزء من إنسانيته , حديثها مؤثر جداً حديث يغلب فيه صوت نبذ الحروب بأشكالها وبداية عالم مختلف يتقبل فيه الجميع أولئك المختلفين عنهم وتناسي الضحايا السابقين لأن الثأر لا يولد إلا ثأر آخر ويعدها سيعيش العالم في دائرة كبيرة تتسع لكل أنواع الوحشية , مي غصّوب التي فقدت إحدى عينيها حينما كانت تنقذ أحد الجرحى أو الضحايا في لبنان وشاهدت بعينها المتبقية كميةالأسى الذي سيتملك العالم من جراء كل قنبلة تنفجر أو رصاصة تنطلق بلا رحمة بإتجاه الغير ,
يستحق القراءة
يستحق القراءة
December 6, 2025
Leaving Beirut by Mai Ghoussoub
I feel bittersweet leaving a 3 star review. Because I would love to rate with 5 stars some chapters of the book.
I'll start on the parts that I loved. Mai gives her unique point of view through stories of the lebanese civil war. Not the actual raw violence but the effect of violent times in its people.
The beginning chapter is outstanding: 'A kind of madness'. Through a letter that would never be read, you get into a memory of the author of the civil war in the Palestinian camp Sabra in Beirut. That's the introduction to the book and it is very well accomplished.
Then chapters such as: 'The metamorphosis of Said', 'The heroism of Umm Ali' and 'Noha's quest and the passion of Flora'. Walks us through short stories that let us get into Beirut, dive into its characters' neighborhood and be a witness in how the civil war change the course of lives of its countryman.
The transformation of a tender kid that helped his dad in the grocery shop that became a cruel torturer. A maid that was mistreated and angry in the apartment that she worked on that became part of the guerrilla. And the comparison between christian martyrs back in the days muslims ruled in the Spanish territories versus muslim martyrs nowadays that the Western World carries in its heart the Christianity. Their parallel is frightening.
Leaving Beirut left me with great stories. The problem I find in the book is that it feels a bit fractioned to me. It feels that it goes around with a loose connector that doesn't have a full closure for me. In spite of this, Leaving Beirut is a great book I would recommend to read.
I feel bittersweet leaving a 3 star review. Because I would love to rate with 5 stars some chapters of the book.
I'll start on the parts that I loved. Mai gives her unique point of view through stories of the lebanese civil war. Not the actual raw violence but the effect of violent times in its people.
The beginning chapter is outstanding: 'A kind of madness'. Through a letter that would never be read, you get into a memory of the author of the civil war in the Palestinian camp Sabra in Beirut. That's the introduction to the book and it is very well accomplished.
Then chapters such as: 'The metamorphosis of Said', 'The heroism of Umm Ali' and 'Noha's quest and the passion of Flora'. Walks us through short stories that let us get into Beirut, dive into its characters' neighborhood and be a witness in how the civil war change the course of lives of its countryman.
The transformation of a tender kid that helped his dad in the grocery shop that became a cruel torturer. A maid that was mistreated and angry in the apartment that she worked on that became part of the guerrilla. And the comparison between christian martyrs back in the days muslims ruled in the Spanish territories versus muslim martyrs nowadays that the Western World carries in its heart the Christianity. Their parallel is frightening.
Leaving Beirut left me with great stories. The problem I find in the book is that it feels a bit fractioned to me. It feels that it goes around with a loose connector that doesn't have a full closure for me. In spite of this, Leaving Beirut is a great book I would recommend to read.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 19, 2024
Leaving Beirut was my first introduction to the work of Lebanese author Mai Ghoussoub, dealing with themes of war, judgement, revenge, forgiveness, reconciliation.
The book is structured into chapters that, at first, feel somewhat loosely connected. However, as the last chapters unfold, themes and stories come together in a way that deeply resonates especially with readers scarred by wars. Push through to that last chapter, it's worth the wait.
While the writing is impactful, much of the rhetorical strength and nuanced meaning seems to have been lost in translation. If you have the option, I would strongly recommend reading the book in its original language for a richer experience.
The book is structured into chapters that, at first, feel somewhat loosely connected. However, as the last chapters unfold, themes and stories come together in a way that deeply resonates especially with readers scarred by wars. Push through to that last chapter, it's worth the wait.
While the writing is impactful, much of the rhetorical strength and nuanced meaning seems to have been lost in translation. If you have the option, I would strongly recommend reading the book in its original language for a richer experience.
November 4, 2018
This book took me back to my childhood, Lebanon, the war, the memories.
December 19, 2023
I »Leaving Beirut« väver Ghoussoub samman sina minnen från ungdomen i Beirut med funderingar över mänskligheten i stort. Litteraturen har en förmåga att låta författaren själv, och sedermera läsaren, möta verkligheten på nytt; den öppnar upp våra sinnen och skapar ett utrymme där våra tankar kan komma att utmanas och omformas. Vi tillåts bearbeta det som pågår i det inre: vi utvecklas och tar till oss nya perspektiv för att därefter åter landa i verkligheten. Vi uppmanas att acceptera att ingenting riktigt är svart eller vitt, utan att nyanser faktiskt går att upptäcka i det mesta. Varje ord må bära på sin egen mening, men i mötet mellan text och läsare skapas något ytterligare.
Ghoussoubs semi-självbiografi tar sin början i Paris, där hon har lyckats bygga upp en värld utan ett förflutet. Hon befinner sig långt borta från minnena om ett inbördeskrig och alla de människor som kan påminna om det gångna. Men i samma sekund som någon eller något från de bortträngda minnena tar sig fram faller hennes värld samman på nytt. Ghoussoub leder in läsaren i det existentiella, där tankar om livet och döden, konfrontation och eskapism samt medkänsla och likgiltighet spelar en stor roll. Hon må ha lämnat Beirut, men flykten från den fysiska platsen ter sig likväl ha blivit en flykt från jaget. Och denna form av artificiell verklighet är så otroligt ömtålig. Kanske är – och behöver – de två skilda världarna egentligen vara en och samma.
Även om Ghoussoub i första hand utgår från sina personliga upplevelser och erfarenheter av inbördeskriget i Libanon så kastar hennes ord likväl ett ljus över något som sträcker sig längre än så. Människan, och det innerst mänskliga, tar sig fram bland orden. Allt det som hon har hört, sett och känt återfinns hos en mängd olika människor världen över – om än i viss modifikation. Hon berör människans komplexa handlande för överlevnad i de mörkaste av stunder, betydelsen av att glömma och förlåta men också den underliggande strävan efter hämnd.
Hon visar på hur vi ofta vänder oss till arketyper av gott och ont, hjältar och bedragare samt martyrer och förövare för att skapa en ordning bland våra tankar och känslor. Men betydelsen hos dessa indelningar kommer att ändra mening beroende på vem det är som omfamnar dem. Ghoussoub strävar inte efter att tillfredsställa sin läsare med sina ord. Hon griper tag i det skamfulla, det chockerande och det smärtsamma – allt för att utmana sin läsare (och förmodligen sig själv) till att möta jaget och ifrågasätta det som är vedertaget. Orden gör ont och de bryter ner en till marken. Men de lyckas likväl med att få en att se världen som den är, ur en mängd olika vinklar och med nya perspektiv. Alla hanterar vi de mörkaste av stunder på olika vis. Vissa vill få andra att tänka eller känna som dem. Vissa stänger av helt. Vissa vill förlåta och glömma, medan vissa vill förlåta men aldrig glömma. Allt detta säger så mycket om människan i stort, och om den ömtåliga och ambivalenta varelse vi egentligen är.
Ghoussoubs semi-självbiografi tar sin början i Paris, där hon har lyckats bygga upp en värld utan ett förflutet. Hon befinner sig långt borta från minnena om ett inbördeskrig och alla de människor som kan påminna om det gångna. Men i samma sekund som någon eller något från de bortträngda minnena tar sig fram faller hennes värld samman på nytt. Ghoussoub leder in läsaren i det existentiella, där tankar om livet och döden, konfrontation och eskapism samt medkänsla och likgiltighet spelar en stor roll. Hon må ha lämnat Beirut, men flykten från den fysiska platsen ter sig likväl ha blivit en flykt från jaget. Och denna form av artificiell verklighet är så otroligt ömtålig. Kanske är – och behöver – de två skilda världarna egentligen vara en och samma.
Även om Ghoussoub i första hand utgår från sina personliga upplevelser och erfarenheter av inbördeskriget i Libanon så kastar hennes ord likväl ett ljus över något som sträcker sig längre än så. Människan, och det innerst mänskliga, tar sig fram bland orden. Allt det som hon har hört, sett och känt återfinns hos en mängd olika människor världen över – om än i viss modifikation. Hon berör människans komplexa handlande för överlevnad i de mörkaste av stunder, betydelsen av att glömma och förlåta men också den underliggande strävan efter hämnd.
Hon visar på hur vi ofta vänder oss till arketyper av gott och ont, hjältar och bedragare samt martyrer och förövare för att skapa en ordning bland våra tankar och känslor. Men betydelsen hos dessa indelningar kommer att ändra mening beroende på vem det är som omfamnar dem. Ghoussoub strävar inte efter att tillfredsställa sin läsare med sina ord. Hon griper tag i det skamfulla, det chockerande och det smärtsamma – allt för att utmana sin läsare (och förmodligen sig själv) till att möta jaget och ifrågasätta det som är vedertaget. Orden gör ont och de bryter ner en till marken. Men de lyckas likväl med att få en att se världen som den är, ur en mängd olika vinklar och med nya perspektiv. Alla hanterar vi de mörkaste av stunder på olika vis. Vissa vill få andra att tänka eller känna som dem. Vissa stänger av helt. Vissa vill förlåta och glömma, medan vissa vill förlåta men aldrig glömma. Allt detta säger så mycket om människan i stort, och om den ömtåliga och ambivalenta varelse vi egentligen är.
February 28, 2024
a bit pretentious. last bit is academic; it makes sense that this would be taught in a classroom setting. there was one chapter that haunted me
November 24, 2016
Mai Ghoussoub's work is not just about Lebanon, but encompasses themes of justice, retribution, human rights, love and hatred in conflictual settings. Her stories of exile and conflict are the backdrop for wider considerations on how torturers and victims should be treated. Do Truth and Reconciliation committees really work? And should torturers be punished when they committed crimes following superior orders? The author weighs the options in this debate but does not on balance reach a definite conclusion, mindful of the relativity of right and wrong of individuals in war zones. War brings out the worst envy, jealousy and brute instincts in people. Sometimes however it also brings out the strength within us. I particularly enjoyed her essays on Responsibility, Truth and Punishment and her piece on symbols with shaven heads. Her style is at times reminiscent of academic endeavours - nonetheless her voice is both compassionate and courageous. Her untimely death deprives us of a knowledgeable and passionate individual whose own experiences mirror entire populations of displaced refugees. I am sure she would have been an invaluable source of competent reflection on the current plight of the Syrian population.
January 27, 2009
في وداعا بيروت مي غصوب امرأة أخرى ...ربما لأنها تكتب المها وبعدها المضني عن الوطن...هذه الامرأة الحديدية عانت كما هو حال جيلها اللبناني باكمله حرمان وغربة بسب حرب بيروت الجاهلة...ومن أهم ما يجب ذكره أن مي غصوب هي من مؤسسي دار الساقي الشهيرة ..وهي أول مكتبة عربية فتحت عام 83 في لندن في شارع ايجدوار رود...في وداعا بيروت تقرأ نصا عذبا ومثقفا بعيدا عن العبارات الصعبة التي تجدها في مقالاتها ..أرادت أن تخاطب الم غربتها للجميع فلم يأتي النص نخبويا بل أتى شعبيا على أعلى درجة...رحمها الله فقد توفت مبكرا تاركة لنا صرح ساهمت في بنائه سوف يترك لها اسما في عالم الخلود
October 1, 2013
As I was reading the final chapter of this book, I was thinking, 'where was I during the Lebanese Civil War?' 'Where was I when I was supposedly older and conscious of my surroundings? When the war/the conflict/the horrors of Lebanon were happening? On what planet was I living, and why was I not aware?' I have recently been intrigued with conflict.. with war crimes.. with the resilience of the people who have gone through the horrors they have gone through. A book like this hits you in the face really.. with its narrative, its stories, the questions it poses. It hits you in the face.
February 11, 2012
Leaving Beirut tells many tales of atrocities that have happened in the world. Although it is about the Lebanese Civil War at its core, it makes many comparisons to human suffering throughout different points in history. It really makes readers think philosophically about loss, revenge, judgement, and what it means to be human.
March 26, 2014
في الكتاب كتبت عن حياتها في لبنان وخارجها
واتضح مدى اهتمامها في السياسه
احببت طريقتها
واتضح مدى اهتمامها في السياسه
احببت طريقتها
September 16, 2011
عندما إنتهيت من قرأة هذا الكتاب وجدت نفسي أبحث عن مي غصوب أريد معرفة تاريخها من هي ماذا كتبت مزاج المدن و وداعا من أجمل الكتب التي قرأتها علي إطلاق !!
September 19, 2013
لم أعاني في الانتهاء من أي كتاب كما عانيت مع هذا .. للأسف كتاب ممل
August 25, 2014
Hard hitting (albeit in very unexpected ways)
Definitely recommended
Definitely recommended
October 16, 2017
أستغرب ان تنشر دار الساقي كتابًا لمؤسِّسة الدار بهذه الترجمة الرديئة وكل هذه الأخطاء المطبعية واللغوية.
couldn-t-finish-reading
March 1, 2013الترجمة السيئة تصيب الكتاب في مقتل.. كانت غلطة أن أقرأ الكتاب مترجَمًا.. خسارة!
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