Born and raised in Beirut,
Naji Bakhti graduated from the American University of Beirut (Lebanon, 2011). He recently obtained a PhD in Creative Writing from Lancaster University.
Between Beirut and the Moon is his first book.
At the
Guardian, Bakhti tagged
ten "books about Lebanon which do not immediately concern themselves with the civil war, except when they do." One title on the list:
House of Stone by Anthony Shadid
Shadid’s subtle yet powerful memoir grapples with the meaning of bayt, the Arabic word for house. The American-Lebanese 
journalist embarks on a journey to rebuild his great-grandfather’s decrepit house in the ailing town of Marjayoun. It is a bittersweet tale about what it means to reconnect with one’s roots. Peopled with eccentric characters who produce such gems as “your family is the shittiest thing”, “Israel was dropping pamphlets from the sky and I was picking cucumbers” and the proud yet casual boast, “did I tell you our house in Marjayoun is older than America?” Tragically, Shadid lost his life on an assignment in Syria in 2012.
Read about
another entry on the list.
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