Autumn Equinox

By Jabbour Douaihy

Jabbour Douaihy’s Autumn Equinox is a diary of a young man recently resettled in his Lebanese village after going to college in the United States. It continues from the end of May through the September equinox of 1986, narrating his efforts to remake himself through adjustments to his reading, writing, and eating habits, his dress, his posture, his family relationships, his love life. . . .
 
The diary begins with a view of an Israeli bombing in South Lebanon and ends with a description of refugee families fleeing to the mountain villages. Otherwise, except for allusions to what is going on in the capital, the Lebanese Civil War is far from the story, although its violence has never been far from this village. America, personified by a Lara who does not answer his letters, is a faraway land of nostalgia. The village is here, at the center of the young man’s narration, peopled by comic characters who seem to insist on their own unchanging selfhoods and to resist his attempts to be different.
 
The Civil War and the Occupation, the author seems to be saying, are not the only sources of turmoil. Violence and revenge have been part of the people’s consciousness, and people might indeed need to redefine themselves while at the same time adjusting to the environment.

• Language: English
• Publisher: University of Arkansas Press
• Release date: Jul 1, 2001
• ISBN: 9781610750554

Jabbour Douaihy

Jabbour Douaihy (1949-2021) was born in Zgharta, northern Lebanon. He received his PhD degree in Comparative Literature from the Sorbonne and was Professor of French Literature at the Lebanese University. He has published eight works of fiction, including novels, short stories and children’s books. His novel June Rain was also shortlisted for the inaugural IPAF in 2008. His novels June Rain, The American Quarter, and Printed in Beirut are published in English by Interlink Books.

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Reviews for Autumn Equinox

[dubaireader · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A young man changes himself.This was a short book, just 126 pages, but it didn't have a lot about it to make me want to turn those pages.It consists of the diary entries of a young man who has returned from studying in the United Stares and is settling back into life in Lebanon. It is 1986, bombs are falling on the capital and refugees are appearing in local hotels. Other than that, the immediate impact of the war is not felt directly in his village.Nor is there much reference to his life in the US, just a girl friend who does not reply to his letters.Most of the narrarive involves the changes he has decided to make to his life and his appearance. His mother and sister are persuaded to sit together with him for meals, starting with breakfast. He disposes of most of his book collection. He shaves his beard and buys new clothes.Meanwhile, life goes on around him: the local cinema is a focal point of the village and we watch the patrons come and go. There is also a cafe where he meets up with friends. One or two reasonably interesting relatives feature at times.I have heard complaints that Arab readers are less plentiful than Western readers, but if this is the best they are offered, then, quite honestly, I'm not surprised.2 1/2 stars and that may be generous.