قابيل

Qabil and Joseph Saramagho Publisher: Al-Jamal Publications Genre: Paperback Normal Cover Publisher's note: In his novel "Qabil," the Portuguese writer Joseph Saramagho recalls the story of the first creation, deviating significantly from its general framework in the holy books, and re-draws and reshapes it anew according to the image he wishes to present to the reader, as if he is trying to propose an alternative fictional time to the real one that breaks the sacred constants. This is clearly evident in the novelist's description of the Bible in Christianity as "a guide to bad habits," and his statement about Pope Benedict XVI that he "speaks on behalf of God to promote medieval tendencies." Accordingly, the novel offers a critical reading of the religious heritage in light of the prophetic formative approach in an effort aimed at analyzing what has been embedded in human memory about the superstructures and the base structures concerning the story of the creation of Adam and Eve and the conflict between good and evil, represented by "Qabil" and "Habil," and the story of "Lilit" seducing humanity. It presents these from a perspective where multiple visions coexist harmoniously and precisely, reflecting the forms of consciousness that governed this story and its ongoing extensions in human thought to this day. From the atmosphere of the novel, we read: "... this is what I saw in the dream, oh my God, that you do not want us to eat that fruit because we will open our eyes and know good and evil as you do," "And what did you do, you fallen, flirtatious woman, when you woke up from this joyful dream," "I went straight to the tree, ate the fruit, and brought something from it to Adam, who also ate from it. It’s stuck here," Adam said, as he touched his throat. "Correct," said God, "if this is the way you want it, the way things should be from now on, you can say goodbye to a comfortable life. And you, Eve, will not only suffer from all kinds of labor pains, including morning sickness, you will give birth to children while in pain, yet you will still feel desire for your husband, and he will dominate you..."