THE STORY OF A COUNTRY THAT ONLY LIVES IN IT’S PEOPLE’S HEARTS…
OCTOBER 22, 2010 – Beirut: Virgin Megastore, Downtown Beirut, will be hosting Jamal Kanj, the author of Children of Catastrophe, Journey from a Palestinian Refugee Camp to America on November 13 2010, Downtown Beirut.
During this event, Jamal Kanj, a Palestinian refugee who was born and spent his childhood in the now abolished Nahr el Bared refugee camp in Lebanon, will talk about his book, his experiences in Nahr el Bared, and the events that led him to write The Children of Catastrophe. Subsequently the author will read experts of the book, which will be followed by a Q&A session. He himself claims on his website: ‘My promise is a story that will move you emotionally and challenge you intellectually. It is heartrending, yet joyful. In this book, I invite you to a journey into the daily life of a refugee to discover hope and the “place” that lives inside every Palestinian.’
WHEN: November 13th, 2010 from 6:00PM – 8:00PM.
WHERE: Down town, Al Shouhada Street, Beirut, Lebanon
COST: Free to the public with RSVP to nlaz@all-prints.com
ABOUT THE BOOK (Paperback / 240pp / 235 x 155mm / Garnet Publishing / September 2010)
While the much anticipated Middle East peace talks start in the US, Garnet Publishing launches Jamal Kanj’s life affirming memoir from his life in a Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon. Jamal Kanj who was born in a Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon, presents his life story in his shocking memoirs: Children of Catastrophe, due to be released in September 2010.
A great deal has been written over the years addressing the Palestine–Israel conflict, and the creation of the Palestinian refugee problem. However, few works on the subject really present the personal aspect: What is it like to be a refugee? What propels a decent human being to take up arms, to become a freedom fighter or a terrorist?
This book tells the remarkable story of one such refugee, following his journey from childhood in the Nahr El Bared Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon, becoming a member of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), through to eventual emigration, a new life as an engineer in the United States, and a ‘return’ trip to historic Palestine. Running parallel to the personal narrative, the book also documents the story of Nahr El Bared itself: the story of a refugee camp that grew from an initial clump of muddy UN tents to become a vibrant trading centre in north Lebanon, before its eventual destruction at the hands of the Lebanese army as they battled with militants from the Fatah Al Islam group in the summer of 2007.
Throughout it all, the spirit of the remarkable people of the camp shines through, and the book provides a moving testament to how refugees in Lebanon have managed to persist in their struggle for their return, as well as survive socially, economically and politically despite more than sixty years of dispossession and war.
About the Author
Jamal Kanj was born in the Nahr el Bared Palestinian refugee camp in northern Lebanon ten years after the creation of the state of Israel. He moved to the United States in late 1977, and has been active in various local and national political organizations. He is a cofounder of the Middle East Cultural and Information Center in San Diego and served as the Secretary General for the US chapter of a large student union. Today, Kanj is a professional engineer who works on water infrastructure management and writes on Middle Eastern politics.
For more information about Children of Catastrophe, please visit http://www.garnetpublishing.co.uk
For more information about the author, please visit his website www.jamalkanj.com
Like this:
Be the first to like this post.
