Tuesday, October 31, 2006

Au feu…
Au feu…

After Part I here’s part II:

When I went to my uncles’ place on the weekend, one of my uncles handed me a small book. Apparently they found it while cleaning up some old closet.


Two Lebanese Artists made it back in 1982 and it’s mainly about death, in a funny way of course. It’s kind of interesting, I can’t really say I understood it all, maybe because of my weakness in French or maybe because a book about death at the worst phase of the civil war may have a sense of humor that the post war generation may not relate to.


That difference is often obvious while talking to my uncles in general who had sunk very deep into the war, but that’s a different story all together. Just check out this sketch from the book that I really didn’t understand but caught my attention never the less:




Keep in mind that by saying Feu (fire) they are also referring to death.

Now before leaving Beirut, my uncle reminded me of the book, to take it home with me, my mom didn’t know what it was all about. Naturally, with her nosy style she just had to know! And since I am in no mood for nosy attitude I just answered:

- Porn!

My mom didn’t want to believe me; I mean it was obviously NOT going to be an erotic book that my uncle’s giving to me! But still, she would refuse to trust what’s obvious and just laugh about it. She demanded to see the book. Of course you know… This means war!
Jokingly she tried to get me to hand her the book… Didn’t work.

I just hid it in my red notebook and giggled…

Jokingly she tried to take the book out of my hands… Didn’t work.

She was getting pretty pissed off and I don’t exactly enjoy putting her in such situation but to be honest, I don’t like people to boss me around and I certainly don’t like my mom to monitor what I read like that, I mean what on earth makes her believe she can outsmart me or control what I read?!

Eventually, in the car, on the way home, my uncle just spoiled the fun and told her it’s just a humoristic book. I don’t know what she felt at that moment, it was dark, but I guess she felt a mix of relief (because it’s not Porn) and some embarrassment (for overreacting about it).

2 comments:

NOMAD said...

"feu" I suppose in this context, it is about death

by the way, do you bury your deads or do you burn them ?

Pazuzu HSP said...

we bury dead people in family (and public) burial cemitaries, then when we need the space we just remove their bones and put them in some old well or some place that no one can mess with the bones.

we never burn dead, in the past it was even regarded as a sacrilege