In the same way that Egypt and Libya conspired to 'disappear' my father and silence writers such as Idris Ali, they made me, too, to a far lesser extent, feel punished for speaking out. Hisham Matar More Quotes by Hisham Matar More Quotes From Hisham Matar The Arab Spring is a powerful and compelling response not only to an age of tyranny but also to the remnant chains of imperial influence. Hisham Matar influence powerful age spring Growing up in the Libya of the 1970s, I remember the prevalence of local bands who were as much influenced by Arabic musical traditions as by the Rolling Stones or the Beatles. But the project of 'Arabisation' soon got to them, too, and western musical instruments were declared forbidden as 'instruments of imperialism.' Hisham Matar project who growing-up remember Nothing makes you feel more stupid than learning a new language. You lose your confidence. You want to disappear. Not be noticed. Say as little as possible. Hisham Matar you confidence learning stupid Whenever I was encouraged by my elders to pick up a book, I was often told, 'Read so as to know the world.' And it is true; books have invited me into different countries, states of mind, social conditions and historical epochs; they have offered me a place at the most unusual gatherings. Hisham Matar me mind book world Political dictatorships take possession not just of money and belongings but of narrative. Hisham Matar just take political money My parents left Libya in 1979, escaping political repression, and settled in Cairo. I was nine. Hisham Matar parents left political nine In 2006, I published my first novel, 'In the Country of Men.' The publication of the book gave me a bigger platform to speak about my father's abduction and Libya's human-rights record. Hisham Matar me men father book My earliest memory of books is not of reading but of being read to. I spent hours listening, watching the face of the person reading aloud to me. Hisham Matar face memory me reading Civil war is a national crisis and also a private trauma: We suffer it collectively and in isolation. Hisham Matar trauma isolation crisis war The Arab Spring, with all of its failings and failures, exposed the lie that if we are to live, then we must live as slaves. It was an attempt to undermine not only the orthodoxy of dictatorship but also an international political orthodoxy where every activity must be approved by the profit logic of the 'ledger.' Hisham Matar live lie dictatorship political We need a father to rage against. Hisham Matar against need rage father Like most dictators, Col Gaddafi detests the metropolis. His vision of Libya is a kind of Bedouin romantic medievalism, suspicious of universities, theatres, galleries and cafes, and so monitors the cities' inhabitants with paranoid suspicion. Hisham Matar like vision kind romantic I am, by instinct, wary of revolutions. The gathering of the masses fills me with trepidation. Hisham Matar i-am me instinct gathering From before I was born, we Arabs have been caught between two forces that, seemingly, cannot be defeated: our ruthless dictators, who oppress and humiliate us, and the cynical western powers, who would rather see us ruled by criminals loyal to them than have democratically elected leaders accountable to us. Hisham Matar i-was-born us see born
