If you ever head on a walk down Monot Street, this wall will surely catch your eye. It is called “The wall of fame” and it was painted back in 2020, during the quarantine, by “Librairie du Liban” to celebrate the giants of Arabic literature in the heart of Beirut and show the greatness of these men and women.
Monot street is where I go on my daily walks, either alone or with my friends, yet every time I pass by this wall, I can’t help but stop for a minute just so I can read at least one of the quotes written on there. It is filled with quotations by famous Arab writers and artists, all collected in one space, in the most colorful, artistic yet fun design, showing each side of the wall differently, while each artist is painted individually in this realistic monochromatic style.
Personally, my favorite quotation on there is written by Elias Abou Chabke, a Lebanese writer, poet, editor, translator and literary critic, and was one of the key figures in the Arab Nahd movement. If I want to translate his quote, I would put it this way “Water your poems from the wounds of your heart, and let its wounds work as the wine for your pens”, which is beautifully said written in Arabic, because I do believe that sometimes the best art comes from heartbreak and downfalls.
