Beirut Shadows of another life – Imad Kozem – Pure Nostalgia

Description

LebanonPostcard presents the book Beirut Shadows of another life – Imad Kozem – Pure Nostalgia – Hardcover book, 26.8X28.1 cm, 209 pages, 2025 – ISBN 978-9-95306-784-1

Preface

Holding on to Beirut…

We are a people shaped by longing, carrying deep nostalgia for the land we left behind or still call home, though it has transformed beyond recognition. The Beirut we knew differs vastly from our parents’ stories, our grandparents’ tales, and even the city we once walked through before everything changed. Beirut lives in our present moment, flowing through our writings, memories, creations, conversations, and reflections. Yet paradoxically, she remains profoundly absent, wearing an unfamiliar face. We mourn her as though she were already gone.

So, we turn backward, seeking comfort in yesterday. We speak reverently of the Phoenicians, hunt through Roman ruins, recount the civilisations that passed through, and, above all, hold onto that cherished period “just before the war,” those golden decades of the 1950s, 60s, and 70s when Lebanon flourished with extraordinary talent. These luminous moments were stolen from our parents. Now we feel compelled to preserve every detail of that vanished world. We search, dig, investigate, and analyse. And occasionally, we simply write.

We tell the story of Beirut, this city of infinite daring. A city transcends geography. It is atmosphere and wonder, raw energy and quiet courage, beautiful chaos and unexpected grace. Beirut holds on to both ancient stones and chrome towers, defying the past yet hesitating before the future. She exists fully in each passing moment.

She awakens us, astonishes us, wounds us, amazes us with resilience, betrays us, and leaves us breathless with her limitless capacity for transformation. We reach for her with desperate hands,
longing to hold Beirut close, never to lose her essence.

Everything becomes a pathway into memory. So, when we discover a foreign spy operating in our capital during those electric decades of the 60s and 70s, what better lens through which to revisit the city? Through his eyes, we explore her hidden corners and delightful surprises, her innovations and traditions, from downtown to Zeitouné, from Aïn el Mreïssé to Hamra, along the Corniche to those mythical places: Les Caves du Roy, the Saint-Georges bar, the Paon Rouge, and the Holiday Inn’s revolving restaurant. After all, it wasn’t so long ago.

To hold on to Beirut becomes our sacred mission. Our parents’ generation holds these memories close, and we listen with hungry hearts. Someday, our children will read what we’ve written with the same hunger. Testimony serves as an antidote to forgetting and death. Through storytelling, we transform the past into something that continues to live, breathe, and matter.

This book invites three parallel journeys: Bob’s breathless adventures navigating his dangerous mission through Beirut’s streets, the iconic, unforgettable places he encounters, and finally, the grand sweep of History herself, allowing us to relive the making of this extraordinary city.

Beirut is never forgotten.

Tania Hadjithomas Mehanna

“But what is the journal of an American spy doing in the library my uncle left me?”To find out, follow Bob as he dives into a series of sensational adventures in Beirut during the swinging ’60s and ’70s. This is a true journey through time, brought to life through vivid storytelling and photographs, where the iconic places of this inspiring golden age reveal their big and small secrets. Buckle up and immerse yourself in this hybrid of memoir, narrative, and testimony, a gripping plunge into the heart of a capital city that left an indelible mark on the world. It’s as if you were there…

LebanonPostcard will be responsible for sending the book you order, through fast courier with a track number, guaranteeing reception of the package. The book may take between two and five days to arrive, according to the country it is sent to.