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Little Mountain
Written in the opening phases of the Lebanese Civil War (1975--1990), Little Mountain is told from the perspectives of three a Joint Forces fighter; a distressed civil servant; and an amorphous figure, part fighter, part intellectual. Elias Khoury's language is poetic and piercing as he tells the story of Beirut, civil war, and fractured identity.
168 pages, ebook
First published January 1, 1977
12 people are currently reading
576 people want to read
About the author
إلياس خوري
27 books608 followersEnglish: Elias Khoury.
الياس خوري هو قاص وروائي وناقد وكاتب مسرحي لبناني، ولد في العاصمة اللبنانية بيروت عام 1948. كتب عشر روايات ترجمت إلى العديد من اللغات وثلاث مسرحيات وله العديد من الكتابات النقدية.
شغل منصب رئيس تحرير الملحق الثقافي الأسبوعي لجريدة النهار منذ العام 1993 حتى عام 2009.
وكان مسؤولاً عن القسم الثقافي في جريدة السفير من عام 1983 حتى عام 1990. وعمل مديراً فنياً لمسرح بيروت بين عامي 1992 و1998. ودرس في الجامعة اللبنانية والجامعة الأميركية في بيروت وجامعة كولومبيا في نيويورك، ويدرس حالياً في جامعة نيويورك مادة الدراسات الشرق أوسطية والإسلامية.
الياس خوري هو قاص وروائي وناقد وكاتب مسرحي لبناني، ولد في العاصمة اللبنانية بيروت عام 1948. كتب عشر روايات ترجمت إلى العديد من اللغات وثلاث مسرحيات وله العديد من الكتابات النقدية.
شغل منصب رئيس تحرير الملحق الثقافي الأسبوعي لجريدة النهار منذ العام 1993 حتى عام 2009.
وكان مسؤولاً عن القسم الثقافي في جريدة السفير من عام 1983 حتى عام 1990. وعمل مديراً فنياً لمسرح بيروت بين عامي 1992 و1998. ودرس في الجامعة اللبنانية والجامعة الأميركية في بيروت وجامعة كولومبيا في نيويورك، ويدرس حالياً في جامعة نيويورك مادة الدراسات الشرق أوسطية والإسلامية.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews
April 8, 2016
The slow and painful reading of this book was an unsettling experience that is to the author's credit. Focused on the war that erupted in the streets of Beirut in the 1970s and the changes this wreaks on three different characters, it is the perhaps the best I have read about warfare in giving the reader the sense of disbelief that must echo through the head of civilian soldiers as they go about the surreal business of killing and being killed for the sake of something they are told is bigger than themselves.
A haunting and poetic work, it repeats scenes that act like a meditative chant and merges points of view and scenarios to powerfully conjure up the discombobulation that happens when shells are falling around you and you are thinking of your Mother and your enemies and your own mortality and the district (Little Mountain, an affectionate name for a district of Beirut) where you grew up and why it has become a battlefield.
People die casually beside their friends and the survivors carry on, their sole focus the next safe house, an examination of how much closer they are to the line they need to cross. The strongest scene takes place in a bombed-out Catholic Church with a splintered and fallen Jesus Christ propped against the hol-ey walls. The characterisation of the priests, with their callous, unaware racism, is incredibly powerful.
And then there is the depiction of Little Mountain itself. There is something elegaic about the writing, the descriptions that show the magic that has eroded from the district, from the community, over the years. It is a symptom of the loss of innocence that we all experience on the journey from child to adult, yes, but it also effectively demonstrates to me that, despite the unstoppable force of allegedly positive progress, places from our past have usually been despoiled without true consideration of qualities that are not easily definable. It made me think of the green spaces lost over the years in the community I grew up in, of the little family businesses that offered friendship to people who might otherwise live an isolated existence and have been replaced with alien and alienating superstores.. retail parks instead of spinneys or patches of no-man's land. A capitalist tragedy. And this is what this book does to you.. it sets you off pondering your past and the history of the world in your own tiny reading of it and the nature of humanity and the pointlessness of war. It is exhausting and exhilarating.
A haunting and poetic work, it repeats scenes that act like a meditative chant and merges points of view and scenarios to powerfully conjure up the discombobulation that happens when shells are falling around you and you are thinking of your Mother and your enemies and your own mortality and the district (Little Mountain, an affectionate name for a district of Beirut) where you grew up and why it has become a battlefield.
People die casually beside their friends and the survivors carry on, their sole focus the next safe house, an examination of how much closer they are to the line they need to cross. The strongest scene takes place in a bombed-out Catholic Church with a splintered and fallen Jesus Christ propped against the hol-ey walls. The characterisation of the priests, with their callous, unaware racism, is incredibly powerful.
And then there is the depiction of Little Mountain itself. There is something elegaic about the writing, the descriptions that show the magic that has eroded from the district, from the community, over the years. It is a symptom of the loss of innocence that we all experience on the journey from child to adult, yes, but it also effectively demonstrates to me that, despite the unstoppable force of allegedly positive progress, places from our past have usually been despoiled without true consideration of qualities that are not easily definable. It made me think of the green spaces lost over the years in the community I grew up in, of the little family businesses that offered friendship to people who might otherwise live an isolated existence and have been replaced with alien and alienating superstores.. retail parks instead of spinneys or patches of no-man's land. A capitalist tragedy. And this is what this book does to you.. it sets you off pondering your past and the history of the world in your own tiny reading of it and the nature of humanity and the pointlessness of war. It is exhausting and exhilarating.
May 6, 2025
هذه رواية أقل ما يمكن أن يقال عنها أنها لوحة شعرية موجعة وجميلة.
November 11, 2014
“Memories come back in a burst of images“, wrote Jean Genet about his time with the Palestinian fedayeen. Elias Khoury’s impressionistic, first-person, thinly-fictionalized account of the beginnings of the Lebanese Civil War is written in and through just such a burst of images. Little Mountain is a short novel, the first four chapters of which present the lived experience of the war – street-battles, battles in the church, wounds and death – and the last, a series of broken, scattered reminiscences in a Paris metro. What binds all of this together – what conveys meaning – is neither chronological narrative (time plays little to nor role in Little Mountain), nor character (at the end, we know almost as little about the narrator as we do in the beginning), but images.
For example: We ran cautiously, clutching rifles and dreams, writes the narrator in the beginning, – evocatively conveying, without conversation or action, through that simple image, the early idealism of the revolution, and the romance of violence. “Nothing remains in his hands save a wetness that recalls the rain.” “She laughed. It rang like a bow.” “They looked like the shadow of the old oil lantern one of them carried.” Each of these images, incredibly powerful in its context, does the work that events normally do: convey meanings (as I understood them), of loss, of love and of futility, all bound up with each other and with the war.
It is not, however, that Khoury has any wish to preserve or worship ideals. There are many striking passages about war in the book, especially the (thinly ironic) descriptions of battle in a church. And in these passages – that are at times strongly reminiscent of Erich Maria Remarque’s All Quiet in the Western Front, in their dispassion, detachment and seemingly unaffected attention to detail, Khoury mixes romance with dirt in a manner that the former cannot possibly survive. Consider, for instance:
“The commander came running. It looks like they’re trying to overrun the street. Get ready. I followed him. I stood at the end of a street leading to the main road where we used to listen for the movement of military vehicles. He took Talal to another street, Talal alone. You’ve got to get down on the ground, the position commander was saying. He lay down on the water, shivering, as it seeped into his body. The shelling was intensifying. We’ve got to hold our ground. Water mixed with blood. This is the glory of the revolution. You are the pride of the revolution. And the pride of the revolution will stand fast. I was holding my rifle tight and firing. The shots rang in my ears, I couldn’t see them. I gripped the hand grenade and threw it. Water splashed up and the shrapnel went flying. The water gasped loudly; this is the glory of the revolution. I was down on the ground. But they weren’t advancing. Nothing but an overpowering smell. The smell of rain and brackish water and burning gunpowder. The sound of shells. I couldn’t see anything ahead. But Talal stayed down on the ground, shooting, advancing to the main road. Nothing but shelling. The rain was stopping and masonry was beginning to crumble.”
Full review: http://anenduringromantic.wordpress.c...
For example: We ran cautiously, clutching rifles and dreams, writes the narrator in the beginning, – evocatively conveying, without conversation or action, through that simple image, the early idealism of the revolution, and the romance of violence. “Nothing remains in his hands save a wetness that recalls the rain.” “She laughed. It rang like a bow.” “They looked like the shadow of the old oil lantern one of them carried.” Each of these images, incredibly powerful in its context, does the work that events normally do: convey meanings (as I understood them), of loss, of love and of futility, all bound up with each other and with the war.
It is not, however, that Khoury has any wish to preserve or worship ideals. There are many striking passages about war in the book, especially the (thinly ironic) descriptions of battle in a church. And in these passages – that are at times strongly reminiscent of Erich Maria Remarque’s All Quiet in the Western Front, in their dispassion, detachment and seemingly unaffected attention to detail, Khoury mixes romance with dirt in a manner that the former cannot possibly survive. Consider, for instance:
“The commander came running. It looks like they’re trying to overrun the street. Get ready. I followed him. I stood at the end of a street leading to the main road where we used to listen for the movement of military vehicles. He took Talal to another street, Talal alone. You’ve got to get down on the ground, the position commander was saying. He lay down on the water, shivering, as it seeped into his body. The shelling was intensifying. We’ve got to hold our ground. Water mixed with blood. This is the glory of the revolution. You are the pride of the revolution. And the pride of the revolution will stand fast. I was holding my rifle tight and firing. The shots rang in my ears, I couldn’t see them. I gripped the hand grenade and threw it. Water splashed up and the shrapnel went flying. The water gasped loudly; this is the glory of the revolution. I was down on the ground. But they weren’t advancing. Nothing but an overpowering smell. The smell of rain and brackish water and burning gunpowder. The sound of shells. I couldn’t see anything ahead. But Talal stayed down on the ground, shooting, advancing to the main road. Nothing but shelling. The rain was stopping and masonry was beginning to crumble.”
Full review: http://anenduringromantic.wordpress.c...
January 27, 2016
في المرة المقبلة يجب أن لا نكتفي باحتلال الساحات والأبنية بل يجب تدميرها. الأساسي أنّه يجب أن تكون هناك مرّة مقبلة.
*******
هذه هي الثورة قلت. هكذا, نعيش وسط اكتشاف كلّ شيء, وسط فراغ كلّ شيء. هذه هي الثورة.
- أنا لا أحب السياسة.
- و أنا لا أتكلم في السياسة, بل أتكلّم عن الثورة.
- ولكنّ الثورة سياسة. أليست الثورة سياسة؟
- لكنها تبدأ دائمًا, رغم السياسة أو داخل السياسة. إنّها الشيء الذي يبدأ دائمًا. مثل الحبّ, مثل الموت, مثلك.
*******
جميع الأمور تبدأ غامضةً وغير قابلة للاستيعاب. لكنّها في النهاية تتداخل وتأتلف في مثلّثات. لا يمكنك أن تكتشف الأشياء عارية هكذا. إنّها جميعها تدخل في المثلّثات والمثلّث هو البداية أو ما يشبهها. والمثلث يدخل في الدائرة. كلّ مثلّث مهما كان شكله ومهما كان حجم زواياه يدخل في الدّائرة. والدّائرة لا بدّ وأن تنفجر.
المثلث داخل الدائرة. لكنّنا لم نعلم أنّ الحرب بدأت. كنّا نعتقد أنّ المسألة سوف تبقى داخل إطار ترتيب أوضاع المثلّث وتعديل شروطه. ولكن حين انفجر المثلّث, اتّسعت الدماء بغير حدود. اتّسعت فانهارت الدائرة بأسرها. كلّ دائرة محكوم عليها بالانهيار. هذه هي القاعدة. وعندما تنهار الدائرة تنكسر أضلاع المثلث. ونجلس تحت المطر بحثًا عن مثلّثات جديدة.
*******
هذه هي الثورة قلت. هكذا, نعيش وسط اكتشاف كلّ شيء, وسط فراغ كلّ شيء. هذه هي الثورة.
- أنا لا أحب السياسة.
- و أنا لا أتكلم في السياسة, بل أتكلّم عن الثورة.
- ولكنّ الثورة سياسة. أليست الثورة سياسة؟
- لكنها تبدأ دائمًا, رغم السياسة أو داخل السياسة. إنّها الشيء الذي يبدأ دائمًا. مثل الحبّ, مثل الموت, مثلك.
*******
جميع الأمور تبدأ غامضةً وغير قابلة للاستيعاب. لكنّها في النهاية تتداخل وتأتلف في مثلّثات. لا يمكنك أن تكتشف الأشياء عارية هكذا. إنّها جميعها تدخل في المثلّثات والمثلّث هو البداية أو ما يشبهها. والمثلث يدخل في الدائرة. كلّ مثلّث مهما كان شكله ومهما كان حجم زواياه يدخل في الدّائرة. والدّائرة لا بدّ وأن تنفجر.
المثلث داخل الدائرة. لكنّنا لم نعلم أنّ الحرب بدأت. كنّا نعتقد أنّ المسألة سوف تبقى داخل إطار ترتيب أوضاع المثلّث وتعديل شروطه. ولكن حين انفجر المثلّث, اتّسعت الدماء بغير حدود. اتّسعت فانهارت الدائرة بأسرها. كلّ دائرة محكوم عليها بالانهيار. هذه هي القاعدة. وعندما تنهار الدائرة تنكسر أضلاع المثلث. ونجلس تحت المطر بحثًا عن مثلّثات جديدة.
April 26, 2019
#الجبل_الصغير
#إلياس_خوري
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خمس قصص، تنتهي وتبدأ كقصة واحدة، بمزاج وطابعٍ واحد، وهو الحرب الأهليّة اللّبنانية. ليست القصص للتقريع أو التأريخ أو ما شابه، بثدر ما هي لترمي بك في تلك الحرب وتُشعرك بأهوالها كما لو كنت هناك. تصف لك الجبل الصّغير، الطرقات، الكنائس، الفدائيين، الجموع، التائهين، الرمل، البحر، الركام، الأشجار، الطعام، الأصوات، وكل ما سينقلك لمشهدٍ من تلك الحرب. أسلوب الكاتب غامض، شاعريّ، يهيمُ على الأحداث ولا يأتيكَ بها بل بأثرها على البشر. لا ينحاز، بل يأتيك بالفصائل كلها كأنّها رجلٌ واجد يعاني من فصام وحسب، ويمرّ في إعصارٍ يُخربه.
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أسلوب الرّواية يشعرُكَ أنك روحُ شهيدٍ ما، تحوم في الحرب بين الأحياء. تنخزُ قلبكَ كثيرًا، تتورّمُ مشاعرُك بعض الشيء. ولا تملكُ إلّا أن تذهل مما قاصاهُ لبنان، متمتمًا صلاةً تسأل فيها الله أن يحفظه وأهله.
أنصحُ بها، خاصّة لمن ملّ أسلوب الحكايا التقليدي ويبحث عمّا يخترقُ عواطفه.
#إلياس_خوري
.
خمس قصص، تنتهي وتبدأ كقصة واحدة، بمزاج وطابعٍ واحد، وهو الحرب الأهليّة اللّبنانية. ليست القصص للتقريع أو التأريخ أو ما شابه، بثدر ما هي لترمي بك في تلك الحرب وتُشعرك بأهوالها كما لو كنت هناك. تصف لك الجبل الصّغير، الطرقات، الكنائس، الفدائيين، الجموع، التائهين، الرمل، البحر، الركام، الأشجار، الطعام، الأصوات، وكل ما سينقلك لمشهدٍ من تلك الحرب. أسلوب الكاتب غامض، شاعريّ، يهيمُ على الأحداث ولا يأتيكَ بها بل بأثرها على البشر. لا ينحاز، بل يأتيك بالفصائل كلها كأنّها رجلٌ واجد يعاني من فصام وحسب، ويمرّ في إعصارٍ يُخربه.
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أسلوب الرّواية يشعرُكَ أنك روحُ شهيدٍ ما، تحوم في الحرب بين الأحياء. تنخزُ قلبكَ كثيرًا، تتورّمُ مشاعرُك بعض الشيء. ولا تملكُ إلّا أن تذهل مما قاصاهُ لبنان، متمتمًا صلاةً تسأل فيها الله أن يحفظه وأهله.
أنصحُ بها، خاصّة لمن ملّ أسلوب الحكايا التقليدي ويبحث عمّا يخترقُ عواطفه.
Read
May 5, 2020Didn’t actually finish the book but read a bit of it for a class.
One of my first introductions to a stream of consciousness style of writing, which was, for me personally, the biggest proponent of my distaste for this novel. Perhaps if I were to read more novels with this style I could then better see its use and beauty.
My brilliant professor did mention however that the lack of clarity and confusion produced as a result of the writing style serves as the author’s metaphor for his views on the Lebanese war. Thus, the novel itself was his metaphor for the war, which I thought was an excellent way to communicate his views.
One of my first introductions to a stream of consciousness style of writing, which was, for me personally, the biggest proponent of my distaste for this novel. Perhaps if I were to read more novels with this style I could then better see its use and beauty.
My brilliant professor did mention however that the lack of clarity and confusion produced as a result of the writing style serves as the author’s metaphor for his views on the Lebanese war. Thus, the novel itself was his metaphor for the war, which I thought was an excellent way to communicate his views.
January 1, 2021
Beyrouth sans se mettre en avant, cette capitale représentante
du Liban, est comme de coutume au-devant de la scène.
Au petit garçon qui achète une galette et qui l’offre à tout un chacun
afin que les bombes s’arrêtent de tomber et que la paix revienne.
A ces jeunes qui se sont emparés d’un char – butin de guerre- et
l’ont conduit jusqu’au centre-ville et qui auraient préféré, voir entre
entre leurs mains un tracteur plutôt, que ce char.
La résilience de ce pays lui offre à chaque fois de nouvelles perspectives
malgré les affres que sans cesse elle subit.
du Liban, est comme de coutume au-devant de la scène.
Au petit garçon qui achète une galette et qui l’offre à tout un chacun
afin que les bombes s’arrêtent de tomber et que la paix revienne.
A ces jeunes qui se sont emparés d’un char – butin de guerre- et
l’ont conduit jusqu’au centre-ville et qui auraient préféré, voir entre
entre leurs mains un tracteur plutôt, que ce char.
La résilience de ce pays lui offre à chaque fois de nouvelles perspectives
malgré les affres que sans cesse elle subit.
April 23, 2021
An amazing insight into the chaos of war, the memories of displacement and death, made almost impenetrable and unreadable and uncomfortable because of how accurate it is. Chapter 1-2 are almost perfect, but I would not say the last 3 chapters are enjoyable whatsoever.
November 22, 2024
“‘If we're victorious here in Lebanon, what will happen?’
‘Israel will come, and after we defeat her, America will come.’
‘And after we defeat America, who will come?’
‘When we defeat America, everyone will go. We will have written the story of the longest and most beautiful war.’”
‘Israel will come, and after we defeat her, America will come.’
‘And after we defeat America, who will come?’
‘When we defeat America, everyone will go. We will have written the story of the longest and most beautiful war.’”
December 28, 2018
Such a vivid tale, combining intricate details of identity and crisis. I think this is one of the best stories written on the Lebanese civil war.
July 27, 2013
Written during the early stages of the Lebanese civil war, Little Mountain provides a compelling look at the chaos and terror unleashed on all forced to endure conflict. Based largely on Khoury’s own experiences within Christian East Beirut (the ‘Little Mountain�� of the title), the narrative unfolds from three different character perspectives – while this strategy may have faltered in the hands of a lesser writer, Khoury deftly balances the stories so that each is complete within itself, and yet also plays an integral role in the overall structure of the book. The fluidity in viewpoint mirrors a larger ambiguity present throughout the text – identity, events and characters all seem to be fractured or amorphous; the ongoing conflict denies everyone involved any stability while the dreamlike state that the characters appear to embrace cloaks them from the horrors of the strife surrounding them. There is also a great deal of repeated dialogue throughout, as though it is only through repetition that any sort of comprehension can be gained. The ending of the novel seems largely unfinished, unsatisfying and almost a tad abrupt – I think this has more to do with the events that were occurring at the time of its conception, rather than a fault on the part of the author…
Stirring and heartbreaking…
Stirring and heartbreaking…
May 4, 2013
This novel is as poetic as it is fragmented. It is as jarring as it is beautiful. I confess I picked it up because of Said's foreword. But I definitely disagree with his categorization of the text as postmodern. The extreme alienation and separation brought about by late capitalism in the metropolitan centers of the world capitalist system is altogether different from the fractures and anxieties brought about by the onslaught of war in the global peripheries.
February 27, 2017
I have a hard time trying to rate this book. The were parts that I really enjoyed. The first section in particular, and there were some really poignant parts throughout. What didn't hit for me though just seemed to miss wildly. I struggled some with the formless aspects of it, especially the third section. It's possible this gets another star as I sit with it for a bit.
April 22, 2024
بداية موفقة جدًا مع إلياس خوري.
May 19, 2022
السرد البطيء كان مليئاً بمشاهد فارغة
تبدو مضيئة وتحمل مدلولات محددة لكنّها فارغة كونها كلاسيكية ترسم الحرب وزواريبها ، تصور المعارك وكواليس المعسكرات
الرواية هذه كالقنبلة الصوتيّة وهي من تجارب الكاتب الأولى
تأخذنا نحو مرحلة مهمّة من تاريخ لبنان الحديث
لكنّها لا تطبع في وجداننا الخلفيات النفسيّة والمجتمعية
لم تستطع الشخصيّات المتعددة في هذا النص أن تبتكر مغزى
أو أن تساعدنا على إلتقاط الثيمة
أو الثيمات
كما فعل فيما بعد الكاتب في تجارب روائية أخرى كباب الشمس والوجوه البيضاء...
الرواية صوت
حتى التواتر فيه لم يكن لازمة مؤثرة
بل كان المكان والزمان مجرد عناصر كلاسيكيّة تراثية لبناء نص أدبيّ عاديّ...بل عاديّ جدًّا
نبيل مملوك
تبدو مضيئة وتحمل مدلولات محددة لكنّها فارغة كونها كلاسيكية ترسم الحرب وزواريبها ، تصور المعارك وكواليس المعسكرات
الرواية هذه كالقنبلة الصوتيّة وهي من تجارب الكاتب الأولى
تأخذنا نحو مرحلة مهمّة من تاريخ لبنان الحديث
لكنّها لا تطبع في وجداننا الخلفيات النفسيّة والمجتمعية
لم تستطع الشخصيّات المتعددة في هذا النص أن تبتكر مغزى
أو أن تساعدنا على إلتقاط الثيمة
أو الثيمات
كما فعل فيما بعد الكاتب في تجارب روائية أخرى كباب الشمس والوجوه البيضاء...
الرواية صوت
حتى التواتر فيه لم يكن لازمة مؤثرة
بل كان المكان والزمان مجرد عناصر كلاسيكيّة تراثية لبناء نص أدبيّ عاديّ...بل عاديّ جدًّا
نبيل مملوك
November 27, 2019
An experimental stream of consciousness book about the Lebanese civil war, a very hard read to follow, though the language is undeniably gorgeous. I usually love experimental literature but perhaps the backdrop made it harder to fully understand. I personally enjoyed the last chapter the most about the Arab veteran and his soldiering life - including recollections of his marriage to his Vietnamese wife.
A good book to read about war from a non-western perspective.
A good book to read about war from a non-western perspective.
October 14, 2019
مع احترامي للنظريات التفكيكية و ما بعد الحداثة و الرواية التى تبحث عن قارئها ..فالرواية دى حاجة زى الزفت ما شاء الله
و التعليل الوحيد ان رواية تخرج مهلهلة و مفككة بالشكل ده ان الكاتب كان سكران و هو بيكتبها ..
مفيش التزام بخط سردي ،مفيش شخصيات مترابطة ، تكرار لديالوجات كاملة بدون اى داعي درامي ...
كملتها بس عشان اعاقب نفسي على الكام دولار اللي دفعتهم فيها
و التعليل الوحيد ان رواية تخرج مهلهلة و مفككة بالشكل ده ان الكاتب كان سكران و هو بيكتبها ..
مفيش التزام بخط سردي ،مفيش شخصيات مترابطة ، تكرار لديالوجات كاملة بدون اى داعي درامي ...
كملتها بس عشان اعاقب نفسي على الكام دولار اللي دفعتهم فيها
November 16, 2024
When we go through truly terrible experiences our mind stops us from accessing those memories directly. There are things that can be said and things that can only be alluded to. We speak tangentially, almost in a code. The writing is sometimes raw, sometimes restrained, sometimes dream-like.
This book gives a sense of the traumatizing effects of the Lebanese civil war.
This book gives a sense of the traumatizing effects of the Lebanese civil war.
November 2, 2025
-This isn't the Palestinian flag. Palestine isn't a country for it to have a flag. Palestine is a condition. Every Arab is a Palestinian. Every poor man who carries a gun is a Palestinian. Palestine is the condition of us all.
December 6, 2018
الجبل الصغير: *لوحات* قصصية؛ ولا أقول مشاهد لأن المشهد متحرك وأنت ثابت وتتضح الأحداث لك مع سيرها.
هنا الزمن حاضر وأنت هناك اللوحة أمامك وفي كل نظرة ترى/تشعر أكثر؛ كأنك تقترب منها وتتضح لك أكثر.
هنا الزمن حاضر وأنت هناك اللوحة أمامك وفي كل نظرة ترى/تشعر أكثر؛ كأنك تقترب منها وتتضح لك أكثر.
April 3, 2019
هكذا يجب أن يُكتب عن الحرب، بهذه الطريقة البشعة حتى تكتشف جمالها
April 30, 2023
جميع الساحات تتشابه و جميع المدن التي تخترقها الأنفاق ستدمّر.
هذه الرواية ثقيلة و حزينة و مليئة بالهذيان و الدم.
هذه الرواية ثقيلة و حزينة و مليئة بالهذيان و الدم.
August 21, 2025
A poetic, magical-realism portrait of Beirut in the early days of the civil war. The first chapter about Achrafieh is especially beautiful
July 19, 2020
The novel demands some knowledge of Lebanese politics and history. But after that, it shows how war just creeps in human lives in some countries. Beautiful language. Don't read this novel if you want a story.
February 26, 2025
لإلياس خوري أسلوب سرد مميز وفريد من نوعه، حيث يستخدم الرمزية والتجريد ويذيب الحدود بين ما هو حقيقي وما هو خيالي، مما يضع القارئ في حالة تساؤل دائمة حول الواقع الذي يصفه. لا تُروى أحداث الرواية بترتيب زمني تقليدي، بل تتنقل بين الماضي والحاضر بطريقة تعكس التشوش الذي تعيشه الشخصيات. تعتمد الرواية بشكل كبير على الحوارات الداخلية، حيث تتوغل في أفكار الشخصيات ومشاعرهم المضطربة.
March 29, 2013
Okay, I have to confess that I haven't read the last chapter. I'll update this once I have, but we've started discussing the book in class without the professor ever assigning those last pages so I've decided I have enough other reading on my plate.
Overall, this book kind of blows my mind because it's like one long prose poem, and I enjoy that. On the other hand, I'm very confused and I'm not sure how much reading the final chapter will clear things up. Bottom line, this book is like a piece of modern art that I actually enjoy. (I went to the MOMA in Vienna, Austria with my boyfriend a couple summers ago and we decided modern art is not something we really understand--the installations at The Mattress Factory in Pittsburgh are pretty cool though.) Anyway, I think you have to come at this book with the understanding that it's probably way more awesome in its original Arabic and just appreciate it for what it is: gorgeously written.
Overall, this book kind of blows my mind because it's like one long prose poem, and I enjoy that. On the other hand, I'm very confused and I'm not sure how much reading the final chapter will clear things up. Bottom line, this book is like a piece of modern art that I actually enjoy. (I went to the MOMA in Vienna, Austria with my boyfriend a couple summers ago and we decided modern art is not something we really understand--the installations at The Mattress Factory in Pittsburgh are pretty cool though.) Anyway, I think you have to come at this book with the understanding that it's probably way more awesome in its original Arabic and just appreciate it for what it is: gorgeously written.
February 24, 2013
"The Little Mountain" is considered to be one of the first "modern", or "experimental" novels in Arabic. Structurally, it is a series of surreal, "Apocalypse Now"-type vignettes about the horrors of the Lebanese civil war (the early bits) and the non-war being waged in everyday lives. Now, I know full well that there were tons of "experimental" novels done by Arab authors extending back into the 1950s, but the lack of this work's historical exceptionalism should not detract from its excellence. Often hard to follow because of the lack (?) of a central narrator or character, or maybe there is one? Yep, it's one of those. It is available in English.
March 19, 2011
This poetic novel is set in a neighborhood in Beirut during the Lebanese civil war, and is narrated by three men: an Arabic soldier in the Lebanese National Movement; a government employee caught in the middle of the crisis; and an intelligent and idealistic young man who is also participating in the conflict. I found the narrative difficult to follow, as it was often surrealistic and at times overly repetitive, and I skimmed the last half of the book.
June 20, 2015
Told from multiple perspectives narrating multiple angles of the Lebanese Civil War, the novel/prose/collection - I'm still not entirely sure how I would label Little Mountain - failed to tie any of the threads up in a way that made sense to me.
I feel like a good piece of historical fiction inspires the reader to learn more about the historical conflict relevant to the story, and this one frankly didn't do that for me. Two stars may be a generous rating.
I feel like a good piece of historical fiction inspires the reader to learn more about the historical conflict relevant to the story, and this one frankly didn't do that for me. Two stars may be a generous rating.
June 21, 2007
If one of my friends out there ever happens to find a copy of this book, preferably the hard bound university of minnesota edition with the said foreward, you could get it for me and it would be the best present ever. I looked for this on a regular basis at powell's for probably five years and never found it...
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