In My Library

On this page we present to readers the books and magazines that reach "The Woman's Voice" from time to time:

Selections
Published by Dar al-Makshuf

This book contains a choice selection of the Lebanese story, by a select group of Lebanese men of letters who have worked in the story, from Ameen Rihani to Suhail Idris. These stories had already appeared in various books, some of them published by "Dar al-Makshuf" itself.

But in this collection it wished to present the best of these stories, or those that cleave most closely to our social life. There is no doubt that it chose some of the stories well; and it is very strange indeed that the world of the story should have grown so barren — for since the days of Tawfiq Awwad and Khalil Takieddine, no strong new story-writer has sprung up, as we observed from this collection.

The preface to this collection was written by Sheikh Fouad Hobeiche, proprietor of Dar al-Makshuf.

The life of Gibran and His Prosession

"The Processions" is that beautiful spiritual poem which Gibran composed in Arabic on life — the clamorous, discordant life in which no melody harmonizes with another — and on nature, in which all melodies join in a complete, all-embracing, wonderful unity.

Dr. George Kheirallah has presented this poem in English together with its Arabic text, in a translation splendid in style, deep in tone, and pure; and the poem is adorned with those symbolic drawings in which Gibran expressed his ideas. The book also contains a sketch of the life of Gibran Khalil Gibran, given by the author in a beautiful poetic style.

Dar al-Ilm lil-Malayin

Mr. Suhail Idris is very active these days in the writing of the story. In a space of no more than sixty days, this budding man of letters has brought out three collections: "Longings," "Fires and Snows," "They Are All Women."

This last collection turns entirely upon woman, and upon certain feelings that are born in youth at its first dawning.

Nearly all of Suhail Idris's stories are a description of this primitive phenomenon of youth; sometimes he succeeds in describing it, and very often he fails...

The certain thing, in our view, is that Suhail Idris has not yet managed to dive down to the depths: he is still on the shore... The depths call for a boldness that is not yet in Suhail Idris, and for the arms of a skilled swimmer.

The preface to this collection was written by Sheikh Said Takieddine, the writer Idris's intimate friend — bantering at one moment, disowning him at another, but never hard on him.

(Poetry) — Ibrahim Obadiah

A collection of verse by the Iraqi poet Ibrahim Yaacoub Obadiah, dedicated to His Royal Highness Emir Abdul Ilah, Regent of the throne of Iraq. This poetic collection contains various poems — patriotic, descriptive, amatory, and political — so that in this respect it comes near to representing all the colors of poetry in one poet.

These poems rise and fall according to the variance of their matter: while in some places you feel a poetic gift with a certain purity in it, presently you sink down to something approaching prose, or lower than ordinary prose.

We, in our view of poetry, can make no concessions — neither in the poetry itself, as poetry, nor in the typographical production of poetry. The typographical production of poetry must be elegant, and the poetry must be of the utmost purity. "In the Stillness of the Night" is a title that does not fit the collection, for most of it, it would appear, was composed in the din of day.

Publications of the Children's Bureau
Translated by J. Farajallah al-Kurdi

This book treats of the affairs of the child from age one to age six. It is one of the publications of the Child Research Bureau in the United States of America, and specialists devoted themselves to its writing. It deals with the child's psychological and mental development, his moral and social development, the care of his health, and his protection from accidents and from the diseases common among children.

There is no doubt that the mothers of the East, and the women teachers and the institutions concerned with childhood, will find it important to read this book.
The price per copy is 300 Lebanese piasters, with a special reduction for associations.