Mayor of Amman, Engineer Nidal Hadid patronized on Sunday night the honoring ceremony of Jordanian novelist Samiha Khreis, who has won the Tunisian Abul Qassem Shabi Award for her novel "Dafater Al-Toufan" (Notebooks of Inundation). Minister of Culture Dr. Adel Towaisi attended the ceremony, which was organized by the Cultural Department at Greater Amman Municipality at the King Hussein Cultural Center in Amman.
The novel was translated into Spanish by Pablo Garcia who said during the ceremony that his initiative aimed to give the Spanish people the opportunity to learn more about the Arab literature and the Arab community at large.
Garcia added that the novelist has succeeded in connecting the regional history of the Mediterranean, and the personal affairs of the characters, all in the novel. He said that such connection makes readers easily know more about the history of Jordan.
Garcia pointed out that the "classical novel" by Khreis speaks for values and ethics that are readily available at everywhere and every time, which narrates about love, not only for life, but also for land and human beings. The novel also speaks about family relations, friendship, fear, hatred, and social bonding.
Dr. Nidal Saleh, a Syrian critic, emphasized that the novel by Khreis represents a literal notebook of a specific historic and social period in Jordan, and assembles a very inspirational contents.
Rafqa Doudin, a Jordanian critic, thanked GAM for its endless support to the cultural development in Amman, and said that Khreis has a literal recounting that opposes the paternal powers on all aspects. She said that just powers discriminate between man and woman and revoke their values.
On her part, Khreis expressed gratitude and appreciation to GAM saying that the ceremony is honoring the Jordanian cultural innovation in general.