Beirut Hellfire Society A Novel
Beirut Hellfire Society A Novel by Rawi Hage, published by W. W. Norton in 2019, is a literary work that explores the complexities of life amid conflict. Set against the backdrop of Beirut’s civil war, the story follows Pavlov, the son of a local undertaker, who is thrust into an unusual role after his father’s unexpected death. He becomes involved with the Hellfire Society, an anti-religious group that provides secret burials for those denied last rites due to their beliefs or identities.
Throughout the 278 pages, readers will encounter a diverse array of characters, including a father searching for his son and a woman who takes refuge in Pavlov’s home following a bombing. The narrative deftly intertwines elements of humor and tragedy, presenting a vivid portrayal of a community grappling with loss and change. Beirut Hellfire Society examines themes of survival and resilience, inviting reflection on the nature of existence in times of turmoil.
Official synopsis Publisher
On a ravaged street overlooking a cemetery in Beirut’s Christian enclave, we meet an eccentric young man named Pavlov, the son of a local undertaker. When his father meets a sudden and untimely death, Pavlov is approached by a colorful member of the mysterious Hellfire Society–an anti-religious sect that, among many rebellious and often salacious activities, arranges secret burial for outcasts who have been denied last rites because of their religion or sexuality.
Pavlov agrees to take on his father’s work for the society, and over the course of the novel he becomes a survivor-chronicler of his embattled and fading community at the heart of Lebanon’s civil war. His new role introduces him to an unconventional cast of characters, including a father searching for his son’s body, a mysterious woman who takes up residence on Pavlov’s stairs after a bombing, and the flamboyant head of the Hellfire Society, El-Marquis.
Deftly combining comedy with tragedy, gritty reality with surreal absurdity, Beirut Hellfire Society asks: What, after all, can be preserved in the face of certain change and imminent death? The answer is at once propulsive, elegiac, outrageous, profane, and transcendent–and a profoundly moving fable on what it means to live through war.
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