A Novel by
Ahmad Juma
Translated by:
Mona Ahmad Ebrahim
A brief synopsis of the novel:
Mario Vitali embraces all those refugees, from Afrin, from places that cannot tolerate deviating from the prevailing norm… Nasser Rajab and Ghazi Fallah, Bassam Al-Aswad, Lilaf Saeed, Jawdat Bek, Ahmed Al-Qarmazi, Hashem, a shared exile that brought together the fleeing executioners and the refugee victims… sons and grandsons who were lost because they broke the silence, those who were tortured and fled from the faces of the executioners, only to meet their executioners again… What kind of party will they hold? They broke the silence; they remembered the prison cells, from Afrin and from places near and far… What kind of party will bring them together with their executioners… at Mario Vitelli’s table… who has completed the retribution! The living are dead, and the dead are alive. The living are ineffective, unable even to swat a fly from their faces, while the dead change the rules of the world. A prime example: Arched Ghannouchi is worth less than an insect, while Karl Marx continues to shake and change the world’s foundations. This is how life is made, by acknowledging that God favors the poor and enriches the rich…
In the midst of a pandemic sweeping the globe, Vitali and his Warsaw lover seized an opportunity to avenge the suffering of the earth’s refugees and those fleeing the dungeons of their oppressors. Self-preservation is not created; it cannot thrive, live, or breathe in an atmosphere of repression and official and popular censorship. The censorship of the people is worse than official censorship. Ask Mario Vitali; he is an expert on the self that cannot breathe in an atmosphere of terror.
***
About the author
Ahmed Juma, the Bahraini writer whose words pulse with the spirit and magic of his homeland, weaves of imagination and reality with the ink of his pen. His prose captivates hearts and stirs minds, carrying whispers of the sea, the secrets of gray cities, and the brittle yellow leaves of autumn, mirroring the fragility of human existence. Through his novels and essays, he embodies the history of his nation, illuminating his love for his homeland, his devotion to freedom, and his unwavering commitment to the struggles of the marginalized,the exiled souls lost in the estrangement of their own lands. Stripping away the illusions of reality, he plunges into the depths of forgotten cities, making his words a beacon for lovers of literature and thought.
Published Works:
Novels
– The Stray Sheep – Published by Dar Al-Farabi, 2013 – Longlisted for the Sheikh Zayed Book Award, 10th Edition.
– Yusra the British – Published by Dar Al-Farabi, 2015 – Longlisted for the Sheikh Zayed Book Award, 11th Edition.
– Egg of the Moon – Published by the Arab Institute for Research and Publishing, 2001.
– Parisian Moon – Published by the Arab Institute for Research and Publishing, 2009.
– A Last Dance on a Blue Moon – Published by the Arab Institute for Research and Publishing, 2016.
– Autumn of Cherries – Published by Dar Al-Farabi, June 2017.
– The War of Violets – Published by Dar Al-Farabi, January 2018.
– The Moon Thief – Published by Dar Al-Farabi, February 2019.
– The Tabrizi Carnation: Abu Al-Ala Al-Ma’arri and His Companion – Published by Dar Al-Farabi, 2020.
– A Night of Pepper in Lugano – Published by Eskraib Publishing, Cairo, 2021.
– Tea with Mario Vitali – Published by Eskraib Publishing, Cairo, 2022.
– The Street of Misfortune – Published by Eskraib Publishing, Cairo, 2022.
– Autumn Of Throne (Arabic language) – Published by Eskraib Publishing, Cairo 2022.
– Whore And The Sea- Published by Eskraib Publishing, Cairo 2023.
– Daughter Of Love -Published by Eskraib Publishing, Cairo 2024.
– Dreams Commit Suicide But Never Die – Published by Eskraib Publishing, Cairo 2025.
– Autumn of the Throne -l Amir published 2025 Paris
– Winter Of Exile – Eskraib Publishing, Cairo 2026
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