A Sailor's Tale

As the foundational first installment of Hanna Mina's celebrated maritime trilogy (followed by The Mast and The Distant Port), this novel delves deeply into identity, fatherhood, and human obsession with the sea. The story centers on Sa'eed Hazoum, a young man growing up in the shadow of his legendary father, Saleh Hazoum, a fearless sailor who vanished mysteriously into the Mediterranean. Struggling between fulfilling the harbor community's expectations to replicate his father's heroics and establishing his own independent path, Sa'eed embarks on an obsessive physical and existential quest. When he discovers the body of a drowned foreign sailor instead of his father, the narrative turns into a multi-layered allegory on political disillusionment, loss of roots, and the pursuit of truth. Rich in sensory sea descriptions, the novel captures the raw allure and unforgiving reality of life on the water.

It is a masterwork of modern Arabic sea literature that combines atmospheric maritime storytelling with a profound psychological study of father-son legacy and personal identity.

Ideal for readers of modern Arabic literature, fans of maritime sagas and symbolic fiction, and anyone drawn to character-driven narratives exploring family legacy, identity, and existential endurance.