Maroun G Akiki

Hamshariyyat Maroun G Akiki

HAMSHARIYYAT roughly means BOHEMIANISM. A bohemian (a hamshari) is a person, especially an artist or writer, who lives an unconventional life; of free-and-easy habits, manners, and sometimes morals. The character on the front cover of Hamshariyyat is a true 'hamshari', with a glass of champagne in one hand, and the right index pointing at his head as if to say: 'I'm free!' A hamshari journalist (and this is a true story) once got sick of the traditional order of publishing a story: the title, author's name, and introduction; paving the way for the feature article. So, one day, he started his column in his magazine with the article, and then ended it with the title, his name, and the intro. (Isn't he free? Can't he do what he likes? and, well, whatever will be will be!) When Napoleon was told that the people were angry and spoke ill of him, he said: "That doesn't worry me; I would really worry if they didn't talk about me." When Juha (a wise-fool folk character from the Middle East) was asked why he let the air out of the wheels of the mayor's car, he replied: "So that I become the talk of the town." Napoleon and Juha, in their attitudes, were hamsharis. And Hamshariyyat is certainly a book full of bohemianism, cynicism, criticism, and I-don't-care-ism, etc. It sees the world through reversed glasses. HEALTH WARNING: If you want to read it leisurely and really enjoy it, put your nerves in an icebox; and if the icebox is not cold enough, put them in a freezer.