Origins.

"Is a family name a homeland? "

This struck a familiar chord.

I also belong to a nomadic family

who have crossed between the old and 

new worlds, making new countries there 

homes, in my case multiple.

As we absorbed these other cultures

and adapted to their ways 

we still retained a bond with our past.

Not only the past made by oneself,

but also the past we have inherited 

from our ancestors.

Amin Maalouf's book is a meditation 

on the individuals sense of place and 

belonging, the meaning of family

and culture in 20th century Lebanon.

the lives of Maalouf's grandfather and 

Uncle are revealed through a series of 
letters discovered in a big trunk and 
therein mythology and truth come
face to face.


Maalouf is best known for his historical
novels yet Maalouf was also a newspaper
journalist. These two elements combined
romance and reporter come together in this
family legacy.


"We  nomadic souls have a cult for 
vestiges and pilgrimages. We may not
build anything durable, but we leave
traces and few persistent noises."

Just a small note as there has been some
confusion.
The above book illustration is something 
I made after reading the book, therefore 
don't look for it by this cover.
The following are the original and 
republished covers.

When the heart is full the tongue will speak.