Little did I know about Jordanian writers and novels that were for a long time banned in Jordan, until I worked on JO’s cover story for this month about Sultana – Ghalib Halassah’s controversial novel that ATV took to the screen (and that people are still not going to get the chance to watch because of… urrrgggghhh… that’s another frustrating story on its own!)
Sultana, as well as Ghaleb Halassah’s other novels and writings, was banned in Jordan until a few years ago. Reading it was quite an interesting experience for me; it depicts an aspect of village life that defies the norm, and then it takes you into Amman in the late 40’s and early 50’s, at a time of its political and social formation. The book is highly autobiographical, with the antagonist, Jeries, seen to represent Ghaleb himself… having grown up in the village of Ma’in before finishing his high school studies at the Bishop school in Amman.
I tremendously enjoyed talking to different people involved in the TV adaptation and the making of the series (except for the difficulty of getting a hold of Syrian actress Qamar Khalaf). For a while I felt like I was venturing into Ghaleb’s world, the unusual life he led, the coming of age, the political activism with the communist party, the persecution, the times spent in prison in different Arab countries, the exile, the different women in his life, the great years he spent in Cairo… up until he died in Damascus in 1989, right before the political environment in Jordan changed and the ban on his books was finally lifted. Talking to his 85-year-old brother was wonderful, as he and his wife shared all these stories about Ghaleb and the type of person he was.
Another interview I loved was with Ibrahim Gharaibeh (Al-Ghad columnist, and blogger) who was in charge of the dramatic adaptation. We discussed the adaptation challenges, how two other novels by Ghaleb were incorporated into the TV series, and how they tamed some of the socially “inappropriate” elements.
Even though Sultana does not appear a lot in the book, she represents some kind of connecting thread, and the early chapters about her childhood are fascinating. It’s interesting to know that no Jordanian actress agreed to play her role, and in the end it was given to talented Syrian actress Qamar Khalaf.
It was exciting to see ATV’s commitment to make a purely Jordanian drama that addresses a critical part of Jordan’s history. It also left me thinking – how come I never knew about all these important Jordanian books such as Ziad Qasem’s novels (particularly “sons of the castle”), and some other important autobiographies that have a lot to say about Jordan in the early and mid 20th century.
I went to Abu Ali’s the other day to get some of these books. There’s this big novel by Ziad Qasem called “the tempest” (Al Zawba3a) which is in six or seven parts. Part two was missing. Why? Because it is banned… only part two. According to Ali (Abu Ali’s son) it contains detailed stories about black September. Censorship on books has eased up a lot in the past few years, but obviously, it’s still there.
So, back to Sultana… there is so much that I want to write about it here, but it’s mostly in the article, so go grab the September issue of JO. Yes, I’m using my blog for shameless self-promotion 
Seriously, get this month’s JO!
