São Paulo – In the new book by writer Milton Hatoum, his first book of short stories, named “A cidade ilhada” (The marooned city), page 45 stands out to those who have some sort of connection with the Arab world. What is written at the top of the page is "The captain’s farewell", the title of the story. And what Hatoum tells is the story of Mr. Moamede. Moamede is a man who likes to tell stories, a trader on the Amazon River. Hatoum does not write it, but it is clear that Moamede is Arab, or of Arab descent. "Moamede is a character in homage to my grandfather, who was a great storyteller," said Hatoum in an interview to ANBA.
Hatoum is of Lebanese descent and states that the stories he heard when he was a child, about Lebanon, the country of origin of his family, helped stimulate his imagination. Many of them were told by his grandfather, Mamede. "He told stories to his grandchildren, and many impressed me," he said. On page 45 of Hatoum’s book, Moamede, soon after getting off one of the boats coming down the Amazon, tells a story to his friends and grandchildren. It is the story of a boat he used to transport his goods, on which, besides the goods, there was a coffin.
The casket was empty and belonged to the vessel’s captain, a friend of Moamede’s. At a site on the riverbank, the boat stopped and the captain jumped off. He came back carrying a body rolled up in a hammock. He placed it in the coffin and took the casket home, delivering it to his wife. It was her lover. That is where Moamede’s story ends. The story, apart from honouring his grandfather, is dedicated to Hatoum’s uncle, Adib M. Assi. "They were among the people who stimulated me the most when I started writing. He reads all I publish," stated the Brazilian writer, born in the Amazon.
In book "A cidade ilhada”, apart from Moamede, there is another short story, “A natureza ri da cultura” (Nature laughs at culture), with Arab characters. In this case, however, they are the narrator’s grandparents who are mentioned to introduce the main character in the plot, a friend of his grandmother’s. In this case the inspiration also came from Hatoum’s grandparents. "But also from neighbours and friends. My childhood home was often visited by immigrants from the Middle East, from Morocco and Portugal," says Hatoum, who was born in Manaus. This movement was also influential in the development of two of his novels, "Tale of a certain Orient", and "The Brothers".
"Arab culture was very important in my childhood. A writer almost always reinvents his childhood. My relatives do not recognise themselves in characters in the novels, but parts of them are represented in these characters. I heard stories about Beirut, about Batroun, in southern Lebanon, and was fascinated by this worked that is so distant and so close. Somehow, my father and my grandparents on my mother’s side were fictionists before me. Without my knowing it, many things I heard about Lebanon were going to stimulate my imagination," he said.
Arab blood
Hatoum is of Arab descent both on his father’s and mother’s side. He spent a good part of his childhood, however, very close to his grandparents on his mother’s side. "My parents lived with them and their kids. I think there were over 20 people, because my grandfather received cousins and nephews from Lebanon, making the family grow even further," recalled the writer. According to him, it was a difficult time for his grandparents, who had seven children. "My grandmother cooked, sold kibbehs and safihas, and my grandfather and father worked in a shop selling fabric. They were typical immigrant families, who wanted to see their children in school," says the citizen from Amazonas.
The author did not learn how to speak Arabic, but he still remembers the food made at home, a mixture of dishes from the Amazon, like fish and Arab food. "I remember the roast fish with sesame seed and the appetizers my grandmother prepared," said Hatoum. The writer has already published one of his most famous novels, "The Brothers", in Lebanon. That was in 2002 through publishing house Dar Al Farabi, translated by Safa Jubran. "The translation by professor Safa Jubran is excellent," said Hatoum.
The author
Book “A cidade ilhada” brings together short stories written by Hatoum in the 1980s, others from the 90s and still others from 2008. Several were published in magazines, in Brazil and abroad, also in Egypt and Oman, and in Arabic. "I rewrote them all and noticed great affinity. Some narratives keep their similarity with novel "The Brothers" and "Ashes of the Amazon". The book was released early this year by publishing house Companhia das Letras.
Three of his four novels won the Jabuti Award: "Tales of a certain Orient", his first book published, "The Brothers" and "Ashes of the Amazon". The award is among the most prestigious Brazilian literature awards. The author also won other important awards in Brazil, like the Portugal Telecom, for "Ashes of the Amazon", and the APCA (the São Paulo Association of Art Critics) award, as well as the Bravo! award, for the same book. Hatoum lives in São Paulo and publishes newspaper chronicles in “O Estado de São Paulo” and in the digital “Terra Magazine”.
*Translated by Mark Ament
