Rabih Alameddine and Greg Mitchell
May 15th, 2008
Definition: Hakawātī — Arabic language storyteller. We talk with Lebanese writer Rabih Alameddine about his new novel, THE HAKAWATI. A master storyteller himself, Alameddine spins a tapestry of tales, contemporary, epic and fantastical. At their core lies the story of a grandfather and his grandson in Beirut. The old man is a hakawati, one of the last of a dying breed. His grandson tells his story, and through it, the story of Lebanon itself.
You can hear a 2005 NPR report on Hakawatis and the effort to preserve their tradition, by clicking here. It’s by broadcast journalist Carrie Giardino. And here’s a link to the New York Times review of THE HAKAWATI.
And we talk with Greg Mitchell, about how the press and the punditocracy failed the public on Iraq. From his unique perch as editor of the trade journal, Editor and Publisher, Mitchell takes us over familiar territory with a fresh eye in his new book, SO WRONG FOR SO LONG: How the Press, the Pundits and the President Failed on Iraq.
Tags: alameddine arabic language Beirut editor Fiction Greg Mitchell Hakawatis iraq Journalism journalist Latest lebanon punditocracy Rabih This Week writer
