Novels

The Cancer (Al-Saratan):

First issued in 1987 by the publishing house of Mohammed Ali El-Hami in Tunis, then in 1988 by Al-Hewar in Syria and then in 1995 by Al-Fikra in Aleppo. It is the story of Abdullah who came back from Argentina, where he had emigrated from Syria, suffering from an incurable disease. It is a story about identity, longing for childhood and attitude to both self and the world.

 

The North Winds – The Small Market:

(Riyah Al-Shimal)

Published in 1989 by Al-Hewar Publishing house in Syria. It is an epic of the First World War and of self-awareness after many centuries of Turkish Ottoman colonialism. It looks into the war from the viewpoint of its characters who are from the city of Aleppo, and it observes the blossoming of national consciousness at that time. It depicts the people’s lives, hunger and poverty through the story of three young men who are dispatched to different battlefronts, with the war determining the destiny of each in a different way.

The story of the characters is continued in the novel The North Winds-1917.

 

The Pastoral Comedy (Al-komedia Al-fallahiya):

Published in Damascus in 1990. It is about tribes who leave the desert because of tribal conflicts and settle in a Bedouin quarter around the city of Aleppo. These people infiltrate the city, exerting an influence on it. The spirit of tribal society finally prevails throughout the urban society.

 

 

The North Winds – 1917:

A sequel to the The North Winds – The Small Market it was published in 1993 by Al-Enmaa Al-Hadari  in Aleppo. It continues an account of the lives of three young men who left their homes to fight in the First World War.

 

A Case of a Passion (Halet Shaghaff):

First published in 1998 by Attia Publishing House in Beirut. It looks closely at the special society of women and their music and singing that flourished during the 1930s in Aleppo. It is an interesting novel which combines an absorbing mystery story with a case of passion for a woman who affects both men and women.

The opening chapter can be read in English in this site

 

The Noise And Silence (AL Samt Wa AL Sakhab):

Published in 2004 by Dar Al Adab Publishing House in Beirut; translated into German and launched at the 2008 Frankfurt Book Fair. The main character is a well-known author banned by the authorities from writing and publishing. He retreats into the sanctuary of his home with his loved ones while the noise of political rallies rages outside. See a review in English.

 

The Silk Market (Khan Al-Harir):

The original novel of the widely known TV serial. Its events take place in the 1950s in Syria, a time of serious political tensions which led to the short-lived union between Syria and Egypt. It depicts the social, economic and political life at the time through the lives of people connected to the Aleppo silk market, home of the famous textile trade.

The novel was published in 2005 by Kanaan Publishing House in Damascus.