The Druze of Belgrade

The Druze of Belgrade: The Story of Hanna Yaqub by acclaimed Lebanese author Rabee Jaber won the International Prize for Arabic Fiction (IPAF) in 2012. Set in the aftermath of the bloody 1860 civil war in Mount Lebanon, the Ottoman authorities decree the forced exile of hundreds of Druze fighters to the fortress of Belgrade. Through a tragic twist of fate, Hanna Yaqub—a simple, impoverished Christian egg vendor in Beirut—is seized and substituted for a wealthy Druze prisoner who buys his freedom. For twelve agonizing years, Hanna endures brutal slave labor, starvation, and imprisonment across the Balkans. Simultaneously, the novel contrasts his grueling survival struggle with the desperate journey of his wife and daughter back home, crafting a heartbreaking masterpiece on injustice, resilience, and human suffering.

It is a masterfully crafted, award-winning historical novel that provides an unforgettable, emotionally raw exploration of injustice, fate, and the resilience of the human spirit.

Fans of modern Arabic literature and historical fiction, readers interested in Ottoman and Balkan history, and anyone drawn to deeply moving stories of survival and human endurance.