Taste of great Lebanese literature - Amine Maalouf in the Book Corner

Last Sunday, our Book Corner gathered to discuss “Le Rocher de Tanios” by the Lebanese-French author Amine MAALOUF. We want to thank our speaker, Nathalie Ghoche, for her engaging style that made the evening truly memorable. We also thank everyone who joined and contributed to the discussion. Your reflections and openness brought the meeting to life!

We began our Book Corner meeting with Nathalie inviting the people gathered to define three words: Lebanon, identity, and exile. Many described Lebanon as both our homeland and a place marked by ongoing struggles. Identity was seen as the essence of who we are, “the part that remains when everything else is stripped away” as Youssif said. And exile was understood from two perspectives: a space for growth and ambition, yet also one of hardship and solitude.

Following this discussion, Nathalie introduced the author of the evening, Amin MAALOUF and spoke of his bond with Lebanon and his search for identity while living in exile in France. In his works, including Le Rocher de Tanios, these three themes are central. Lebanon, identity, and exile are more than ideas; they shape his characters, their struggles, and their paths through life.

Le Rocher de Tanios, written in 1993 and awarded the prestigious Prix Goncourt, takes us to a Lebanese village in the 1880s. From childhood, Tanios faces challenges with his sense of self, shaped by rumors surrounding his birth that follow him through the town. A tragic event forces him into exile in Cyprus, leaving behind his family and the woman he loves. In exile, far from home, Tanios continues to wrestle with the same question: who is he beyond the opinions of others?

We explored how rumors and the words of others continue to affect people today, especially through media platforms, and how someone can feel displaced even within their own surroundings. Marina noted that when others impose definitions, claiming to tell someone who they are, it becomes a serious matter. If the person is uncertain about themselves, those labels can shape and even harm their self-image and entire life.

The story continued with Tanios eventually returning to his village. Yet even at home, he could not find his identity, and one day, he sat on a rock overlooking the town, and from that moment, he disappeared. Since then, the villagers have feared that rock, believing it to carry a curse.

As the meeting drew to a close, Nathalie asked the people gathered if they had ever heard of a legend, since Tanios’s story is inspired by a real legend from a Lebanese town. And so, Book Cornerers shared their own stories, some humorous, others unsettling, about legends rooted in Lebanese towns.

Marina, the coordinator of Book Corner, said: “Only those who are willing to face discomfort and embrace uncertainty can truly discover their identity. Meetings like these give me hope during the difficult times we are living!”