(Buda Bar (Novel

The title of the novel suggests the presence of a conflict that hovers over its atmosphere through the juxtaposition of the words “Buda” and “Bar,” blending the spiritual and earthly elements. This creates a perplexing reality for all the characters, leaving them lost in a whirlpool of rapid transformations that occur within the city and within themselves. It compels them to question the impact of staying or leaving. The author explores the atmosphere of Beirut in 2018 through a group of individuals who meet in one of the old neighborhoods that used to be located on the front lines. This choice of location reflects the echoes of the war and peace era. Through the character of Dora, a thirty-year-old woman who chooses to return from Australia to Beirut to start a new life, and her encounters with the intertwining destinies of others, the novel delves into different worlds.

The story begins with a murder and the disappearance of Jamana, a captivating and enigmatic woman whose presence and vanishing carry symbolic significance. The events unfold in an exciting interplay between Dora and Marwan, the husband of the victim, and between Dora and Farah, a young Syrian woman who escaped the fires of war that consumed her family in Aleppo. Additionally, there is Lucy, the Sri Lankan maid who used to work in Jamana’s apartment, Hayam, a tarot reader, and Youssef, the seventy-year-old doctor who never abandoned his city. Deepa, who led an armed group during the war, finds alternative ways to pursue her goals amidst the changing circumstances.

It is worth mentioning that “Buda Bar” is the author’s sixth novel, following previous works such as “Under Study” in 2016, “Cairo Snow” in 2013, which made it to the longlist of the Sheikh Zayed Book Award, and “Margaret’s Song” in 2010, among others.

The novel was published by Difaf Publications and Al-Ikhtilaf (Beirut – Algeria).

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