The Rawda Cafe in Damascus hosted the signing ceremony for the novel 'Praise of Escape' by Syrian novelist Khalil al-Nuaimi on Tuesday evening, attended by intellectuals and readers interested in literary affairs. The meeting provided an opportunity for direct dialogue with the author and to explore the key intellectual and artistic questions raised by his new work.
The novel is set in Syria during the late 1960s, amidst the June 1967 defeat (Naksa), and explores the experience of a doctor conscripted into mandatory service in the occupied Syrian Golan. The work sheds light on the internal conflicts and contradictions of the characters, along with accompanying questions regarding freedom, submission, and rebellion.
In a statement to SANA, al-Nuaimi clarified that the novel recovers aspects of the historical period in which the events take place, including the political and intellectual transformations and manifestations of repression it witnessed. He pointed out that the artistic structure of the work does not rely on traditional plotlines as much as it depends on language and the interweaving of times, places, and characters.
For his part, al-Nuaimi stated: "The novel stems from his belief that a being cannot live without critiquing the pain in which it lives," emphasizing that writing serves as a means to express opinions and offer necessary observations about daily life and society.
'Praise of Escape' transcends the concept of escape as a mere movement from one place to another, posing a psychological and philosophical question about the relationship between humans, power, memory, and identity. Al-Nuaimi draws on elements of lived experience and imagination, without adhering to a linear chronological sequence, in a narrative where memory intersects with contemplation.
The novel was published by Nino House for Studies, Publishing, and Distribution in Damascus in 2026, as part of editions addressing issues of freedom and the relationship between the individual and society. The novel falls within the narrative path the author works on, where personal experience intertwines with imagination and intellectual questions.
Khalil al-Nuaimi is a Syrian novelist and surgeon who has resided in Paris for decades. He studied medicine and philosophy at Damascus University and continued his specialization in surgery and philosophical studies in France. His works address issues of humanity, identity, and freedom. Among his novels are 'The Man Who Eats Himself', 'Emptying the Being', 'Damascus 67', and 'Cotton Blossom'.
Source: Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA)
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