3 Must-Read Books by Lebanese Novelist Rawi Hage

Few writers capture the chaos, humor, and heartbreak of the immigrant experience quite like Rawi Hage. The Lebanese-Canadian author has carved out a distinct voice in contemporary literature.

If you haven’t yet explored Rawi Hage's work, here are some of his most powerful books to start with.

1. De Niro's Game (2006)

If you like: The Kite Runner by Khaled Housseini and The Cellist of Sarajevo by Steven Galloway

In the midst of Beirut's civil war, childhood friends Bassam and George face a stark choice: remain in their fractured city, entangled in its violence, or flee to an uncertain future abroad. As they navigate the perils of war, their bond is tested, leading to a gripping tale of survival and moral conflict.

2. Cockroach (2008)

If you like: The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka and The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath

An unnamed immigrant in Montreal grapples with feelings of alienation and despair. Haunted by hallucinations of a six-foot-tall albino cockroach, he embarks on a darkly comedic journey through his fractured psyche, confronting his past and the complexities of identity in a foreign land.

3. Beirut Hellfire Society (2018)

If you like: The Death of Ivan Ilyich by Leo Tolstoy and The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera

Set in 1978 Beirut, this novel follows Pavlov, a young undertaker who inherits his father's role in a city ravaged by civil war. He becomes involved with the Hellfire Society, a clandestine group that provides dignified burials to those denied by traditional religious institutions, challenging societal norms in a time of chaos.

Already read these books by Rawi Hage? Let us know which one's your favorite!

About Rawi Hage

Born in 1964 in Beirut, Lebanon, Rawi Hage experienced the tumult of the Lebanese Civil War firsthand. He emigrated to Canada in the 1980s after spending time in New York City, where he worked various jobs.

Hage's debut novel, De Niro's Game (2006), garnered international acclaim, winning the International Dublin Literary Award and receiving nominations for the Scotiabank Giller Prize and the Governor General's Award for English fiction. It established him as one of the most important voices in diasporic literature for its gritty portrayal of life during the war.

Since then, his novels have continued to push boundaries, exploring displacement, absurdity, and resistance with dark humor and philosophical depth.

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