The Tiller of Waters

Published by Dar Al-Adab, The Tiller of Waters (Harith Al-Miyah) by award-winning Lebanese author Hoda Barakat—winner of the prestigious Naguib Mahfouz Medal for Literature in 2000—is a hypnotic, allegorical masterpiece. Set in the deserted, war-ravaged downtown of Beirut during the Civil War, the story follows Nicolas, a fabric merchant who retreats into his family’s ruined cloth shop. Surrounded by destruction and accompanied only by a stray dog named Shams, Nicolas survives by immersing himself in the history, textures, and myths of textiles—from linen and silk to velvet and muslin. Interweaving the delicate craftsmanship of fabric making with memories of his childhood and his complex longing for Shaddida, an Iraqi Kurdish maid, Barakat crafts a poetic meditation on human resilience, memory, and the power of imagination to rebuild life amidst total devastation.

It is an award-winning, beautifully written classic of modern Arabic literature that blends the rich history of textiles with a haunting exploration of solitude, memory, and survival in a war-torn city.

Ideal for readers of translated modern Middle Eastern fiction, fans of poetic and psychological realism, scholars of Lebanese literature, and anyone interested in narratives exploring memory, isolation, and art as a refuge.