Anas Hilalal-Raheb, 50-year-old, Syrian diplomat and author from Latakia governorate’s Mashqita village. He traveled to different countries of the world such as the Soviet Union, Hungary, Egypt, Sudan, Senegal, Yugoslavia, Britain, Sudan, South Africa and Venezuela. He is from a political and intellectual family. He graduated from the University of Damascus’ Faculty of Law. He obtained a masters degree in political and diplomatic studies and a doctorate in international relations from the National Center for Diplomatic Studies at the Sudan Academy of Sciences of the Sudanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He worked in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates from 1991 to 2013. He joined the Arab Writers Union in 2017.

Q1: You are from a diplomatic and intellectual family and served as a diplomat in different countries, how have these factors affected your writing and the way of your thinking?

“There is no doubt that access to different cultures of countries gives the author the ability to distinguish between human societies, which will in turn deepen his thought, concept and logic, expand his imagination, enrich his experience and increase his knowledge.

Scores of prominent Syrian and Arab writers took part in the 31st book fair recently concluded at al-Assad Library. They expressed admiration of the various artistic and cultural activities held during the event and highlighted its role in reviving the Arab culture and boosting its role in the life of Arab citizens.

Secretary of the Artists' Union actor Zoheir Ramadan said that the fair was very important to show the ability of the Syrian people to overcome the crisis and confront cultural invasion.

Writer Falak Husariya said that what distinguished the fair was the great interest accorded to children's literature as objective children's writings are considered immunity to children, especially in confrontation of the adverse impact of the internet on children's culture and personality. She highly evaluated the symposiums and activities held on children literature.

On September 12, Under the patronage of President Bashar al-Assad, Vice-President Najah al-Attar inaugurated the 31st Book Fair at al-Assad National library.

In addition to Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Egypt, Oman, Iran, Russia, Indonesia and other countries participated in the 10-day Fair.

In the activities of the last day of the book fair at Al- Assad National Library, Adel Mahmoud and Rita al-Hakim signed two books about the war in Syria by offering a mixture of many literary genres.

Mahmoud's book entitled" the betrayal of the impossible"- Kheyanat al-Mostaheel- includes different types of literary texts that reflect human sufferings such as fear, oppression and sadness. He also described the great suffering of the Syrian people as a result of the terrorist war that was launched on the country, adopting the combination of multiple genres like thoughts and poetry.

Rita al-Hakim book's entitled "Death is elegant when standing in front of the camera" that includes many texts talk about women and their dreams of another beautiful world. The writer also focused on the Syrian woman suffering during the war and how strong she was in facing the problems and obstacles of society throughout the difficult years of the war.

M.Wassouf

Syrian writer Dr. Nadia Khoust has recently published her new book under the title of "The Open War ". The book, which was dedicated to the fighters of the Syrian army, the Lebanese resistance, Iran and Russia, reviews the impact of the unfair war launched against Syria, highlighting the role played by culture and intellectuals in defending the homeland and people.

Dr. Khoust deals with Syrian culture, the future of the Arab culture and the role of culture and education in confronting

Terrorism as intellectuals play a crucial role in raising the awareness of people towards their causes. 

One chapter of the book was devoted to deal with the culture of diversity in Syrian society. The writer said that the peaceful co-existence of all spectra of Syrian society was one of the main factors that strengthened the Syrian steadfastness in confrontation of the global war launched against the country.