Between Beirut And The Moon
Naji Bakhti
SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2021 BOLLINGER EVERYMAN WODEHOUSE PRIZE
‘A strikingly confident and mature voice; a voice of wise cracks digressions and occasional sadness.’
— Jon McGregor, author of Reservoir 13
‘A joyous tale from a fresh new voice.’
— Cosmopolitan
'The characters are great, and so is the dialogue; Between Beirut and the Moon is engrossing, warm and gloriously funny.’
— Roddy Doyle
Between Beirut and the Moon is the exuberant and hilarious debut from the hugely talented young Lebanese author, Naji Bakhti.
A young boy comes of age within the confines of post-civil-war Beirut, with conflict, and comedy lurking round every corner.
Adam dreams of becoming an astronaut but who has ever heard of an Arab on the moon? He battles with his father, a book-hoarding journalist with a penchant for writing eulogies, his closest friend, Basil, a Druze who is said to worship goats and believe in reincarnation, and a host of other misfits and miscreants in a city attempting recover from years of political and military violence.
Adam's youth oscillates from laugh out loud escapades, to near death encounters, as he struggles to understand the turbulent and elusive city he calls home.
'This is a moment of reckoning': How Naji Bakhti masterfully captures the anguish and indomitable spirit of Beirut in debut novel.
– The National
A. Naji Bakhti on Between Beirut and the Moon, inheritance and coming of age in Lebanon.
– The London Magazine
Naji Bakhti’s Debut Novel Rewrites the Lebanese Experience
– Shondaland
Praise for Between Beirut and the Moon
‘With quirky observational humour and poignancy, Between Beirut and the Moon portrays the story of yet another generation in Lebanon navigating the trials of being a teenager.’
— Alia Yunis, author of The Night Counter
‘Comedy and conflict clash in this highly entertaining coming-of-age tale from Lebanese debut author Naji Bakhti. Set amidst the country’s sectarian divisions as it attempts to recover from decades of political violence and civil war, Between Beirut and the Moon charts a young boy’s near-death encounters, with a colourful cast and comical escapades. A unique debut.’
— AnOther Magazine
‘A joyful coming-of-age story documenting the episodes of youth against the backdrop of a chaotic and animated Beirut.’
— BadForm Review
About the author
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.
Paperback ISBN: 9781910312551
Ebook ISBN: 9781910312568
Publication date: August 2020
Formats: Paperback / eBook