I Drusi di Belgrado

The story begins in Beirut during the spring of 1860. The city is overwhelmed by Maronite Christian refugees fleeing massacres by the Druze in Mount Lebanon and Syria. As punishment, Druze leaders are exiled to the Balkans, including the five sons of Sheikh Ghaffar Ezzedine. The Sheikh secures a pardon for one son from the Ottoman governor, but a substitute must take his place on the ship. Hanna Yaqub, a Christian egg seller, is chosen. He is thrown into the ship's hold, punished simply for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. His exile lasts twelve years, involving imprisonment and forced labor across Serbia, Kosovo, Albania, and Montenegro. He eventually finds his way home to his wife, Hilana, and daughter, Barbara. The novel is described as the "ironic and fatalistic" story of a Lebanese "Job" or "scapegoat" set against the ethnic-religious complexity of the 19th-century Ottoman Empire.

The Druze of Belgrade won the International Prize for Arabic Fiction in 2012.

Author: Rabee Jaber

Born in Beirut in 1972, Rabee Jaber is a distinguished Lebanese novelist and journalist who has established himself as a prominent voice in contemporary Arabic literature. Despite his academic background in physics from the American University of Beirut, he devoted his career to writing, serving as the editor of Afaaq, the weekly cultural supplement of the pan-Arab newspaper Al-Hayat. Jaber is recognized as one of the most prolific and talented novelists of his generation, having published eighteen novels since 1992. His literary work often explores historical themes and the complex social fabric of Beirut. Known for being notoriously private and introverted, Jaber frequently draws inspiration from archival research and personal family history to craft narratives that capture the human condition amidst historical turmoil.