by Federica Pistono *
In 2012, the Jordanian writer Fadi Zaghmout published the novel The bride of Amman, destined to become a best seller in the country of origin. Translated into English and French, the work has arrived in Italian translation in 2022, published by MR Editori. The text aroused considerable stir in the Arab world, since it deals with issues that are still considered hot for Jordanian society, especially since the story is not set abroad, but in the capital Amman. The relationship between young people and the traditional conception of marriagewomen’s emancipation, the LGBT issue, violence and rape in the home, are some of the topics analyzed with courageous clarity.
It is about a choral novelcentered on the events of five young people – four women and a man -, who take turns speaking to tell about the sufferings, the choices and the tragedies that fate offers them. The voices of the characters alternate to outline the contours of a profoundly conservative society, in which apparently immutable religious and social norms are in force, which oppress the younger generations, sanctioning, for women, the primacy of marriage over graduation, the taboo of virginity, submission to the head of the family, and, for men, the need to adapt to a stereotypical model of manhood.
The stories of the five protagonists intersect and merge, painting a clear and shocking picture of the condition of youth in the Arab world for the Western reader.
The first character is that of Leila, a brilliant young woman who, after finishing her university studies, realizes how little importance her degree has in the eyes of society. As a woman, the real and only goal to be achieved remains, even today, that of marriage. The true emblem of the female success, in the world in which he lives, it is not the professional affirmation, but the role of wife and mother. Sandwiched between the desire for emancipation and the need for social approval, Leila marries Buta young Iraqi refugee.
Selma, Leila’s older sister, despite being over thirty, is still single, and is therefore the object of contempt or pity of the society that surrounds her. She is considered one “Spinster”, a “withered fruit that no one wants anymore”, according to her grandmother’s definition. When Leila announces her wedding to Ali, Selma sinks into her despair and madness.
The third character is Life, a lively girl but burdened by a suffocating family history. The trauma of her rape, suffered by her father in childhood, still haunts her adult life. Her self-insecurity pushes her into a disastrous relationship with a married man. Determined to leave the past behind, Hayat becomes an airline stewardess and meets John, a young American who offers her a new lifestyle.
The fourth character is Rana, a girl in love with a man belonging to another religious denomination. She is a Christian, he is a Muslim, and religious differences make marriage and relationships between the two families difficult. To live their love story, the two are forced to leave their homeland and move to Sweden.
The fifth character, the only man, is But, the Iraqi refugee destined to marry Leila. Since adolescence, he has discovered that he is homosexual and, despite being crushed by an immeasurable sense of guilt, has lived a relationship with another young man. Eventually, to respect tradition and make his mother happy, he abandons his partner to marry a girl. Ali is perhaps the most tormented of charactersforced by society to choose between their sexual orientation and the expectations of the family environment.
Ultimately, for the five young people, life turns out to be a cage, from which it is very difficult to escape.
The bride of Amman it’s not a happy ending story. An atmosphere of imminent tragedy hovers over the narration and the conclusion of the individual events is dramatic, at times heartbreaking. Each character must give up a part of himself, choose between his most authentic aspirations and the role traditionally assigned to him by the community, escape or find a personal compromise formula in the interest ofsocial acceptancein a world where it is still difficult to realize desires and ambitions that differ from those crystallized in the secular traditions.
* PhD in Arabic Literature, translator, Arabist, lecturer, deals with contemporary Arabic fiction and Italian translation of Arabic literature