The Lost Diary of Farah Antoun

This novel is a fictional manuscript inspired by the life and writings of the late Farah Antoun, who emigrated from the Levant to Alexandria at the end of the nineteenth century, fleeing the persecution of Sultan Abdul Hamid II following the Ottoman occupation of the region.

The narrative takes the form of personal memoirs, supposedly penned by Farah Antoun himself, addressed to his sister, Rosa as a means of revealing the innermost workings of his mind and heart throughout his life's journey. These memoirs span his travels across three continents, his intellectual explorations, and his deeply human dialogues with a range of notable figures-chief among them his published exchanges with Sheikh Muhammad Abduh, the Grand Mufti of Egypt at the time, and a pioneering voice of reform and enlightenment in the Arab and Islamic world. The novel also touches upon Antoun's earlier encounter with his mentor, Jamal al-Din al-Afghani, who called for a renewed Islamic intellectual movement. Furthermore, the narrative imagines him meeting with the world-renowned Lebanese writer and artist, Gibran Khalil Gibran.

To preserve historical authenticity, the novel is written in the language style that was prevalent at the time, as it is presented in the form of diary entries supposedly drafted by Antoun himself. For this reason, the writing-for example-lacks modern style, reflecting the technique used during the period in which the novel is set. As a result, the sentence structures may appear unfamiliar or unconventional to contemporary readers. Moreover, I have also included authentic articles by Farah Antoun and Muhammed Abdou to depict the authentic plight of Antoun towards modernity as we know it today.

The novel also offers a vivid depiction of life and its rhythms at the turn of the twentieth century and up to the outbreak of the First World War. It brings to life the cities of Alexandria and Cairo in Egypt, as well as New York, Boston, and Baltimore in the United States, capturing the spirit and texture of those locales during a transformative era.

I hope the novel resonates with you and earns your appreciation.