The End of a Brave Man
OCLC 4770223127 | | |
The End of a Brave Man (
The novel was adapted into a 1994 television miniseries starring Ayman Zeidan as Mufid and directed by Najdat Anzour.
Plot summary
Mufid is a young man from a rural village near the coastal town of
Mufid drops out of school and runs away from the village, making his way to Baniyas. Following an altercation with a French colonial officer, he is imprisoned for two years. He is held in Latakia at first and then later transferred to a prison in Aleppo. In prison he receives advice on how to live from fellow prisoner Abd al-Jalil, a friend of one of his relatives.
After Mufid leaves prison, he moves to
Mufid finds himself caught in a war between rival gangs and the dock workers' demands for
Mufid returns to prison for five years. During his incarceration the prison physician diagnoses him with diabetes, but he receives no treatment. Upon his release, A physician amputates his leg above the knee. After the amputation he is depressed and dreams of having a prosthetic leg. His trajectory veers towards self-annihilation and he ignores the advice of his physician, smoking and drinking. Mufid then kills a man before he takes his own life.
Themes and analysis
As a coming-of-age story, The End of a Brave Man can be considered a Bildungsroman, with the events of Mufid's life continually returning to themes of humanity and masculinity.[1] His humanity is contrasted with his animal-like nature. While Mufid himself has the physical attributes of an animal, he fears that his animalistic side could undermine his masculinity.[1] Through Mufid, Mina questions the nature of manhood, invoking a binary distinction of animal and man by using the nickname "the Beast" and employing metaphors such as "stallion-hood" to describe his virility.[1]
The End of a Brave Man presents themes of
As a novelist, Mina was known for using the period of French colonialism in Syria to offer critiques of contemporary politics.[3] Literary historians argue that Mina's use of the French occupation served as a literary device enabling him to avoid problematic associations with the contemporary Syrian regime.[1]
The story's depiction of Mufid as an amputee was credited with presenting "a positive image of person with physical disabilities who is exposed to chronic diseases that did not prevent them from continuing their normal lives".[4][5]
Television adaptation
The End of a Brave Man was adapted into a 1994 Syrian television miniseries of the same name (Nihayat Rajul Shujaa). The series was directed by Najdat Anzour and starred Ayman Zeidan as Mufid.[6] The series had minor differences with the novel and was produced by Sharikat al-Sham al-Duwaliyya (Damascus International), a private company owned by the son of Syrian vice president Abdul Halim Khaddam.[7]
Nihayat Rajul Shujaa was broadcast on Syrian television during Ramadan in 1994, continuing the tradition of airing stories promoting national identity during the holy month.[8] It was broadcast in the second Ramadan time slot in the evening.[7]
The series was well-received, earning praise for its tight plot as well as its portrayal of a noble and valiant Syrian resistance to French colonialism.[3][7] Due to its high production values, particularly its cinematography and musical score, it was considered a breakthrough in the quality of Syrian dramas.[7] The series has been reaired on Arab satellite television.[6]
References
- ^ ISBN 978-1-5036-3196-0.
- (PDF) from the original on 2022-09-26. Retrieved 2022-07-26.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-7391-8430-1.
- S2CID 247828754.
- ^ AbuSalha, N. (2012). "The image of persons with disabilities in Arabic drama: A case study of the TV series 'Wara Al-Shams'" (PDF). Middle East University. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2022-03-22. Retrieved 2022-07-26.
- ^ a b Moubayed, Sami (22 August 2018). "Hanna Mina: Doyen of the Syrian novel who highlighted the human condition". Gulf News. Archived from the original on 26 July 2022. Retrieved 26 July 2022.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-253-11041-1.
- ISBN 978-3-8258-4801-9.