Irbid: The Irbid branch of the Jordan Writers Association organized a literary evening at the Irbid Heritage House on Wednesday to discuss the novel "Shadow of the Road" by Jordanian author Yousef Abu Jaish. The event, moderated by novelist Abd al-Salam Saleh, featured insights from critic Doaa Safouri and writer Saleh Hamdouni.
According to Jordan News Agency, during the session, Safouri noted that the novel examines a protagonist preoccupied with an existential quest, revealed through intensive questioning within the narrative. She explained that the work tackles the "ego" in the face of three fundamental existential inquiries: the search for identity, the presence of place, and the acquisition of knowledge. Safouri highlighted that the journey seeks answers that may never arrive, carrying the weight of intellectual and human experiences marked by deep-seated wounds.
Saleh Hamdouni explored the metaphor of the "road" in the novel, suggesting that it does not grant freedom but rather acts as a labyrinth. He described how the narrator presents interconnected streets and fading faces, turning open spaces into landscapes of alienation. Hamdouni argued that the narrator successfully transformed the road into a grand metaphor for life and the "shadow" into a quest for truth. He observed that the protagonist evolves from secrecy to disclosure and from a superficial perspective to a philosophical realization that one's homeland is not merely possessed land but a path toward self-discovery.
Addressing the audience, author Yousef Abu Jaish shared that "Shadow of the Road" emerged from a lifetime of experience rather than a singular premeditated idea. He revealed that he attempted to write the novel more than ten times over many years but failed until the COVID-19 pandemic. The harsh isolation he experienced while living abroad forced him to confront the themes he had long avoided, finally allowing him to complete the project.
The evening concluded with the observation that the novel ends with more questions than it begins, suggesting that beauty lies in the courage of the journey and the act of questioning rather than finding definitive answers.