A World I Loved: The Story of an Arab Woman

by Wadad Makdisi Cortas

"This is my story, the story of an Arab woman. It is the story of a lost world. It begins in 1917, in Lebanon, when I was seven years old.” So opens this haunting memoir by Wadad Makdisi Cortas, who eloquently describes her personal experience of the events that have fractured the Middle East over the past century.Through Cortas’ eyes we experience life in Lebanon under the oppressive French mandate, and her desire to forge an Arab identity based on religious tolerance. We learn of her dedication to the education of women, and the difficulties that she overcomes to become the principal of a school in Lebanon. And in final, heartbreaking detail, we watch as her world becomes rent by the “Palestine question,” Western interference, and civil war.

The World I Loved is both an elegy on Lebanon and her people, and the unforgettable story of one woman’s journey from hope to sorrow as she bears painful witness to the undoing of her beloved country by sectarian and religious division.

Genres: Memoir, Nonfiction, History, Lebanon, Middle East, Biography Memoir, Religion

256 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

Wadad Makdisi Cortas (1909 - 1979) (in Arabic: وداد مقدسي قرطاس) was a Lebanese-Palestinian educator and memoirist.

Wadad Makdisi grew up in an educated family in Beirut, and attended Ahliah National School for Girls as a child.

Cortas worked at her alma mater, the Ahliah National School for Girls, for forty years, as a teacher and then for 26 years as principal, before she retired in 1972. She also taught at Beirut College for Women, and was on the board of the Academie Libanaise des Beaux Arts.

Cortas's memoir, Dunia Ahbab-tuha (A World I Loved) was published in Arabic in the 1960s. She translated the memoir into English and updated it in her retirement; the revised version was published posthumously, with a foreword by Nadine Gordimer, in 2009. In 2012, a stage adaptation of Cortas's book, starring Vanessa Redgrave, was produced first at the Brighton Festival, then at Columbia University, and in 2015 at the Spoleto Festival in Italy.

Reviews

[İpek Dadakçı · Rating 5 out of 5]

“O Sevdiğim Dünya”, ömrümü eğitime ve insan haklarına adamış bir kadının hikayesini ve bu kadının merceğinden Ortadoğu’nun yirminci yüzyıl tarihini, kültürünü ve insanını anlatan nefis bir hatırat.

Wadad Makdisi Cortas, yirminci yüzyılın başlarında, o zamanlar Osmanlı hakimiyetindeki Lübnan’da doğmuş. Aydın bir ailenin çocuğu olarak dönemin şartlarında seküler bir eğitim almış. O zamanlar üniversiteye giden çok az sayıdaki kadından biri olmuş ve sonrasında da burs alarak eğitimine ABD’de devam etmiş. Sonrasında ülkesine dönmüş ve bir okul müdiresi olarak hayatını eğitime vakfetmiş. Karma ve modern eğitim için, kız çocuklarının okuması için, bunların yanında sömürgeci devletlerce silinmeye çalışılan milli değerlere ve dile eğitimde yer vermek için mücadele etmiş. Anlaşılacağı üzere oldukça ilgi çekici ve ilham veren, etkileyici bir kadın hikayesi bu.

Ama bunun da fazlası var çünkü Cortas kendinden fazla, çok sevdiği memleketinin tarihini, Ortadoğu’yu anlatıyor bize. Çok kritik bir zamanda, en çalkantılı yerlerden birinde yaşamış biri o her şeyden önce. Henüz beş yaşındayken Birinci Dünya Savaşı’nın memleketindeki izlerine tanıklık etmiş ve ne yazık ki bu, onun ömrü boyunca tanıklık edeceği savaşların sadece başlangıcı olmuş. Ardından İkinci Dünya Savaşı ve İsrail-Filistin Savaşı derken tekrar tekrar çizilen sınırlar ve bitmek bilmeyen bir vahşete tanıklık etmiş. Ömrünün son zamanlarında da Lübnan İç Savaşı’nı yaşamış. Tüm bu dönemleri, yaşadıklarını, gördüklerini yazıyor hatıralarında da ve okura belgesel gibi sunuyor.

Sömürgeciliğin Ortadoğu’yu nasıl paramparça edip kan gölüne çevirdiğini , sözde insan hakları savunucusu sivil toplum örgütlerinin de “medeni” ülkelerin de sessiz kaldığı katliamları, sömürgeciliğin nasıl şekil değiştirdiğini anlatıyor Cortas; kültüründen tarihine sanatından çeşit çeşit insanına derinden bağlı olduğu toprakların yasını tutuyor adeta.

Çok, çok beğendim. Ortadoğu’ya ilgi duyanlar ve güçlü kadın hikayeleri sevenler özellikle es geçmesin ama herkese hararetle tavsiye ederim.

[Millicent · Rating 5 out of 5]

Worth a detour - read it for the history of this woman's life and Palestine. She created and ran a school for girls in the midst of the political upheaval around her. Her commentary about their lives and her country educates the reader in another view of Palestinians. I learned a lot and am embarrassed to say that I did not realize that there are no current maps of Palestine, only a map of Israel. Literally, Palestine does not exist as a country any more. Naively, I had thought Israel was created out of Palestine, but did not understand that Palestine ceased to exist. That piece of history has helped me listen to the news with a different ear. Now I understand what is being said, when there is talk of a two-state solution.
What a gift - when friends pass along books you would never have bought.

[آية · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful memoir by a beautiful woman. Wadad Makdisi Cortas was born, raised, and lived in Lebanon between 1909 to 1979 - a period that spanned Ottoman rule, WW1, the French Mandate, WW2, the Nakba multiple other Israeli aggressions, and the Lebanese civil war. She shares her experiences and perspective of these events throughout this book, framing them by her own role as a daughter, wife, mother, student, teacher, headmistress, neighbor, and grandmother. She calls herself Arab - in fact, I don't remember her describing her identity as Lebanese - and throughout the book emphasizes the sense of unity she felt, and the catastrophe that nationalism has brought upon Arabs. To her, the Palestinian cause is her own people's cause. She was truly an incredible woman that had so many unique experiences and I'm so grateful that she shared them in her memoir - I know have more insight about these formative decades of the twentieth century and can just picture the beautiful landscape of Lebanon before me.

Quotes as they appeared from earliest to latest in the book:

"We were taught from early childhood to be proud of our mother tongue, but when I came to understand English I realized that our daily expressions can never be fully conveyed in translation. Our answer to "How are you?" for instance is "Fine, thank God," not "Fine, thank you." Dependence on God was idiomatic in daily Arab conversation, not only in the rural areas but also in the city.
If the weather was good, the common expression was "Thank God." If there was drought, it was "May it please God to send us rain." If the crops were poor, the people would ask, "Why is God against us?" As we often summered in the mountains, we learned many phrases from our village neighbors. To a greeting of "Good morning," the reply might be "Another morning of light" or "A morning of jasmine" or "roses."
We were taught specialized greetings. For masons and builders: "May God build with you." For farmers: "May God bless you with abundance." Upon entering a grocer's store: "God be with you." When we had paid for our purchases, the seller would reply, "May God recompense your giving." When a cloth merchant cut into a new piece of material for a buyer, he would say, “Bil afia,” meaning “May you outwear it in health.”"
Beautiful - and written by an Arab woman who was not Muslim, and who grew up in Lebanon among religiously diverse Arabs <3

in December of 1955, the Ihud Associa-tion, then an important political organization in Israel, declared: 'In the end we must come publicly with the truth. We have no moral right to oppose the return of the refugees to their land. We have no right to ask the American Jews to leave their country to which they are attached, and settle in a land that has been stolen from others, while the owners are homeless and miser-able. We have no right to occupy the house of an Arab if we have not paid for it. The same goes for fields, gardens, shops and stores. We have no right to build a settlement on other people's property. To do this is robbery. We are faced with this choice— either to listen to the voice of truth, or not to listen and to bring evil and misfortune upon us and the future generations.'

Part of a letter sent in 1967, that Makdisi-Cortas includes here: "The deliberate bombing of hospitals in Bethlehem and Jerusalem, the destruction of ambulances by napalm bombs used on retreating soldiers and civilians, were calculated to drive the people from their homes. I appeal to every person to answer this campaign of hatred with a campaign of concern for the Arabs."
How similar is this to Gaza the past couple years :(

as gratified as I was by my family and my achievements at the Ahliah School, I could not help feling that we, the older people who claimed to be the guardians of a civilization, had let our young ones down. Nonviolence was our calling, but the world we bequeathed taught them that violence is the more trusted companion of their dreams.

So here we are. For more than sixty years the world has been going mad. Not the honest nor the brave but the mighty have been its masters. For as long as I have lived, powerful men have authored death and extermination or the means to threaten it, and have perverted science for this aim. They carved up the Middle East to satisfy their whims and their greed, and then watched as the forces they set in motion worked toward a seemingly inevitable disintegration. Colonialism taught its lessons too well. For all their power and wealth the imperial nations of Europe were not able to avoid two world wars; the nations they created by drawing lines on a map or issuing declarations have done the same but more modestly, with regional wars, civil wars, occupations.

Will the strong nations allow us to bandage our bleeding wounds? Will Israel be allowed to continue to do whatever it wants? Will our youth free themselves from fanaticism and rebuild the land of our fathers with the sweat of honest labor? Will they ever see justice? These questions torture my soul. The beauty of Lebanon is not enough to make us forget the folly of this war we have just endured. Our purple mountains against the clear skies, their white peaks reflecting light on the verdant hills, the flowers of the fields, the limpid streams, will continue to feed our souls. Spring will come again with its perfume and color and remind us of nature's immeasurable gifts. Do we deserve all this? Our generation has failed to bring men nearer to one another. Will the new generation prove wiser?

[Abbe George · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting autobiography but what interested me more was the history of Lebanon and the Middle East. So disappointed to realize my education never even touched this place.

[Karmen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting to follow up March reading of Teta, Mother and Me by Jean Said Makdisi, relation of Wadad Makdisi Cortas. Seems as if this family is extremely educated and erudite.

They are also both extremely (or at least thanks to the editor) able to convey history in a very personal and relate-able. We all know (or should) of the Balfour Treaty (Britain) carving up Palestine and giving okay for the repatriation of land by the Jewish people. what is not know is the disregard by the world community to Israel's violent land grab thereafter. They did not seek to live with the Arab population but sought to have a place for

[Moumita · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is dear to me because the author, Wadad Makdisi, is my best friend's grandmother. Ms. Makdisi's memoirs are, bar none, amazing. I have never read about someone more accomplished, insightful, compassionate or amazing. This book is also amazing for it gives a first-hand account of the European colonialism that is responsible for ripping apart the Middle East, which most of us Americans are blissfully ignorant of. If you are interested in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, then Yu should add thus book to your list.

[Hibbah · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautifully written memoir by a woman who has accomplished and seen so much. She interweaves history and story so well as she walks the reader through many world events, starting at the end of World War I and continuing through the 70s. Cortas perfectly captured the hope and heartbreak she experienced growing up in Lebanon and watching the continual change around her.

[The Contented · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully written. A very worthwhile book

[Valectrice · Rating 3 out of 5]

A lovely book about a time and a lifestyle that I can’t imagine exists any longer. Waded Makdisi Cortas lived most of her life in pre-civil war Beirut in a cosmopolitan, educated society where she traveled back forth between the mountains (Brumanna in her case) and a Beirut. Her family seemed to live a comfortable existence with servants and beautiful gardens and an international group of friends. She was exposed to the broader world and ideas through these friends, travel and education. The overriding theme of this book in my view is the value of education. She benefitted from it herself and also devoted much of her working life to extending this benefit to others, with an emphasis on educating girls. She led several educational institutions in Beirut, with the last being Ahliah school.

The subtitle of this book is “The Story of an Arab Woman.” While I don’t dispute that, I think it would be more accurate to call this book a time capsule. She is a lovely person, but it is her description of the world and society around her that was most interesting. Her life extended from the end of WWI through WWII, Lebanese independence, the founding of Israel and the violence and disruption that has brought to the Palestinians specifically and to the broader Arab World more generally to the Lebanese Civil War which was still in full swing when she died in 1979. Americans so infrequently hear a perspective such as hers — the perspective of an informed and educated Arab woman based on her experience in pre-1948 (the year Israel was founded l) Palestine and a more international view of events in the region, including the 1967 War. This is not to say that her perspective is not rooted in the Arab/Palestinian view (it is), but that does not mean that it is less valid than the version pushed by AIPAC and the likes of a Bibi Netanyahu. I found particularly interesting to read her views on ‘60s and ‘70s at the same time there is news of renewed clashes between Israeli settlers and Palestinians. In her last chapter she reflects on how war has been a constant of her life, despite all of the grand claims and technological progress we have made. I appreciated her perspective and thoughtfulness, but also felt great sadness about the ultimate fate of the world she loved.

[Deep · Rating 3 out of 5]

Recommended by an aunty/uncle of whom Cortas is an old relative - I probably wouldn't have read it if it wasn't for this personal recommendation and introduction (and my own interest in the Middle East). It was worth reading, almost, for the poignant first-hand reflections on the various disasters that befell Lebanon, and particularly Palestine next door, and the wider region. It certainly conveyed the sadness these tragedies that left an ever present shadow over everyone's lives, their disbelief, hope, betrayal poignantly.

Other than that, the book to some extent flitted - or fell - between two stalls, the narrators life, and the backdrop of Western perfidy in the region, which didn't quite work for me, perhaps neither being quite one thing or the other. Lovely, poignant reminiscences of Lebanon, but not an essential read.

Quotes
p 39. visiting a Jewish kibbutz (1927) "The colony, composed of Polish Jews who had recently settled in Palestine, was completely detached from the life of the area.
I found the Sea of Galilee inspiring..... The Zionists were settling in these parts, beyond the reach of Arab interference. The British had given them lands we were not allowed to visit. It took us Arabs a long time to realise that the kibbutz dwellers were not only tending chickens and farming the land but were also fabricating arms in hidden cellars beneath their quiet homes. In the Galilee region thousands of youths were being trained in methods of warfare. Arms were pouring into the land where Jesus had spoken of peace and love."

p46 "As senior university students in 1930 we supported the Egyptians' desire for a constitution rather than a titular monarchy and were angered by British opposition to it. We bitterly decried French efforts to impose the colonial language and culture upon Algeria."

p47-48 "As we often summered in the mountains, we learned many phrases from our village neighbors. ...When we thought of renting a house in the mountains I remember Father saying to Mother, "The neighbor before the house, the companion before the road."

p67 "..we often used a popular song by the young Palestinian poet Toukan titled "Mautini" ("My Homeland").

p132-133 "Do American politicians today read these words? I wondered. If they do, why do they hesitate to speak out in the interests of liberty? It is not as if they simply had to take the Arabs' word on the Palestinian situation. Almost a year later, in December of 1955, the Ihud Association, then an important political organization in Israel, declared:
In the end we must come publicly with the truth. We have no moral right to oppose the return of the refugees to their land. We have no right to ask the American Jews to leave their country to which they are attached, and settle in a land that has been stolen from others, while the owners are homeless and miserable. We have no right to occupy the house of an Arab if we have not paid for it. The same goes for fields, gardens, shops and stores. We have no right to build a settlement on other people's property. To do so is robbery. We are faced with this choice -either to listen to the voice of truth, or not to listen and to bring evil and misfortune upon us and the future generations.

p150 "The marriages that I usually label risky involve people from environments with modes of living unfamiliar to each other, like Greeks and Americans, Turks and French, Russians and Italians, Spaniards and Scandinavians."

p163 "Following commando raids from Lebanon into Northern Israel, Gen. Moshe Dayan threatened to make southern Lebanon unlivable. The region was bombarded. Villages were demolished, and children, at home while their parents worked in the fields, died under the debris of their shattered dwellings. Every day, it seemed, Israeli soldiers crossed the wire and took hostages into Israel. In a pattern that would repeat all through the 1970s, the Israelis also kidnapped important West Bank citizens and threw them, blindfolded, across the Lebanese frontier."

p188, October 1977
"I'm afraid hatred has not vanished from the hearts of men. Perhaps it is sharper than ever. Hatred breeds hatred, just as love breeds love. The children lived a long time with horrible stories, and I think it will take more than one generation to obliterate the effects of this ravaging war. If our children cannot live in a world better than our own, perhaps their children can. That prospect alone keeps our hopes alive."

[Hasheemah Afaneh · Rating 5 out of 5]

I learned of this book during a 'afikra' conversation with Mariam Said, the daughter of the book's author. What struck me was how many stories about women in the Arab world that I myself do not know! I was surprised to have never come across Wadad's story. What a remarkable woman! There were many thoughts shared in this memoir that I, myself, have thought and had conversations about, such as the loneliness in America. In this memoir, you will learn about the Arab world as it stood between 1910s and 1970s. You will learn about a woman who was the principal of a school in Lebanon and defied French and British colonialism, educated generations, and loved and cared for her family, her school, and all those arriving at its doorstep as a result of war and exile. I recommend this to anyone who needs a bit of inspiration in a world that seems to get closer to what it was before...

[EclecticReadswithAsh · Rating 4 out of 5]

This memoir is passionately written by a woman who clearly loves her country and despairs at the state of the Arab/Middle East Region throughout her life (1909-1979).

This was especially poignant to read with the current war and unrest in Gaza and Israel at the moment, which Wadad explains has been ongoing for decades.

Her work in education and her dedication to making the school under her care diverse with pupils appreciative of such diversity was inspiring. It gives hope that someday peace might be achieved, but there is certainly a big element of disgust (and rightly so!) towards Western colonial powers who frequently intervened in this region for decades.

Overall, this was a lovely memoir and I learned a lot about Lebanon through Wadad's commentary.

[Roslyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Partly I liked this book so much because it was written by the mother of a friend of mine. I was interested in his backgound and had heard about some of the people in it during the years. I guess my friend is modest; he never mentioned how capable and forceful his mother was. He also never discussed middle eastern issues.

What really surprised me is that I was seeing the Israeli-Palestinian conflict from the Palestinian side for the first time. My bias has always been the Israeli side. So I learned a great deal from this memoir.

[Jackson Jabir · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a beautifully written first hand account covering all parts of society in Lebanon and the Arab world. The way she wrote with such empathy of younger generations was heart warming. Her loyalty to finding a better way to resolve issues while highlighting there often times ineffectiveness in the face of a crueler more capable military power.

As she wrote about the power and comforts of living with and close to family it made me reconsider the lifestyle adopted by many first and second generation Arabs including myself.

[Gretchen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I cannot begin to say how grateful I am to have picked this book up and the decision to dive into it. I learned so much and learned it from such a gracious and intelligent point of view. Beautiful depictions of the land and the people in it, haunting accounts of the greed and negligence of those in power that caused destruction and death of this land and it's people. The language is beautiful, the message powerful, the knowledge held within so important. Well worth the read.

[Aysegul Yag · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Sonunda adalet kazanabilirdi, ama insan entrikalarının yarattığı labirentte kaybolup gitmemesi için adaleti savunmak gerekirdi.” diyor Cortas kendi hayat yolunu kaleme alırken. Bu yolun çerçevesini, sadece hayatın ona biçtiği küçük bir kesitten yola çıkarak değil, etrafındaki dünyanın kendi üzerinde bıraktığı izleri açık ve net bir dille ifade etmekten geri durmayarak çiziyor.

[Judy Abbott · Rating 3 out of 5]

Birinci Dünya Savaşında, Araplar bağımsızlık ümidiyle Osmanlılara karşı İngilizlerle birlik olur. Sonuçta İngiltere ve Fransa, Ortadoğuyu bir güzel paylaşırlar ve o günden bugüne Ortadoğu savaş ve felaketten kurtulamaz. Zira kahramanımızın dediği gibi, onların Batı'yı korkutacak bir Atatürk'leri yoktu!

[Nick HH · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great and needed context surrounding a misunderstood region in the period 1910 to 1980. This context was personalised by the author in a beautiful way, as she describes what her life in Lebanon was like in great detail. Incidents in this area are often taken as isolated occurrences, making this book a must-read for anyone interested in the conflict ongoing in Palestine.

[Jenna Oshana · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this book was very beautifully written and did a good job of balancing historical information with storytelling. My only downside was because it was so well written, there were times where the book felt heavy. Overall, beautiful memoir.

[Lara · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book will stay dear to my heart for the rest of my life.

[Rishi · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5/5

[Elsa · Rating 4 out of 5]

very interesting, lots of historical context, and personal details about an arab woman‘s experience growing up in Lebanon throughout most of the 20th century, living through multiple wars and crises

[Philip Forinton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bit of a snoozefest, but interesting and introspective.

[Sumeyye Cengel]

Her ne kadar magazin sever tarafım Edward Said’in kayınvalidesi Wadad Cortas diye giriş yapmak istese de kişiyi bir başkası ya da bir başkasının sıfatı üzerinden tanımlamanın eksik ve ezginliğinin de farkındayım. Birinci dünya savaşı sonrası Ortadoğu’suna şahitlik etmekle kalmayıp yaşadığı ülkeye de hizmetler sunmuş bir kadının ağzından tarih/ siyaset kitaplarından bildiğimiz şeyleri okumakla, tüm gerçekçi bakış açıma rağmen bunlar gerçekten yaşandı mı diye ara ara kendime sorduğum olaylar insan hikayesi katılmış haliyle önüme sunuldu. Otobiyografiler doğru bilgi ediminde her zaman bir adım öte durulmasını gereken kitaplar, onun da farkındayım.

[Garryvivianne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Now this is really the first book I have read about the middle east that opened my eyes to what is really happening between the Iraqis & Palestinians. You read the papers & always get a somewhat skewered idea. This book however is written as a memoir from notes & writing the author's mother kept. I see where they come from now, that the Palestinians are taking their land, their farms, their schools, everything. At first Iraq was somewhat reluctant to fight for their world, but it just got overwhelmingly out of hand. The Cortas family was of good standing, they were reasonably well off, but they knew a great family life. She was able to help many students from all over the world get a good solid foundation in her school. She loved all the children & young people she taught. They hoped to inspire the children in their wealth of knowledge of Iraqi way of life, literature, music, Arabic writing, all of it. She saw where the wars going on around them turned the children into wanting to fight for their rights. Peace is very hard to come by, sad to say, this is the way it will be for too long.

[Sandra Strange · Rating 3 out of 5]

This memoir gives the Arab side of the Israeli conflict in a lucid, personal way as the author tells her story, giving historical background of the origins of the state of Israel. Most of the information I have read before really gives the Israeli side. The author, in the context of her own background and experiences, narrates the events as she and her people saw them. After reading her account, I understand why Mideast Arabs would be bitter against Britain, France and the US for what they see as the imperialist thievery of their land, the unjust establishment of a Jewish nation in their homeland, and these nations' unreasoning support of Israel, ignoring terrorism and military aggression since. The account points up the unsolved problems that continue to destroy any hope for world peace, since each side considers itself wronged and righteous.

[Diane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cortas writes a memoir of life as head of a school in Beirut, with the background of political upheaval from WWII through the Lebanese wars of the 1980s. The latter part of the book becomes a series of diary entries, so that it doesn't hold together as a unified autobiography. I was disappointed at the lack of personal reflection, yet could understand that she thought her life worthy of note precisely because as a woman she was a public figure.

[Diane Peifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sometimes I found the storyline did not flow smoothly but it does give you a very personal perspective of the conflicts of the region. I would not recommend it for someone with little prior knowledge to build upon. I felt like I had to read much if it twice because I didn't understand the history. Need to get myself a more elementary book about the history.

[Rimal Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

A World I Loved is both an elegy on Lebanon and her people, and the unforgettable story of one woman's journey from hope to sorrow as she bears painful witness to the undoing of her beloved country by sectarian and religious division.

100% of sales of this book are donated to Al Ahliah School

Available Online:
https://www.rimalbooks.com/productinf...

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first half was very descriptive, the second was really interesting with an eyewitness account of the wars in Lebanon and the Palestinian/Israeli conflict from it's early days.