winner Stories Novels & Drama
First Circle 1988-1989

• Born in Lattakia, 1924
• Attained his elementary education certificate in 1936
• Poverty forced him to leave school and work in many jobs. He worked as porter and in a barber shop. He never returned to school.
• Began writing in 1942 and published many short stories in Syrian and Lebanese newspapers and magazines.
• Left Lattakia, where he was a barber, to settle in Damascus in 1947 to begin his career as a journalist; in 1951 he was among the founders of Arab Writers Union.
• Currently, he works at the Writers and Translators Department, Syria Culture Ministry and is a member of the Arab Writers Union. 

Decision of the General Secretariat

Hanna Meena is given the award for all his novels, with a special mention of two: The Sun on a Cloudy Day and Remains of Images. The first work developed the shape of the novel, mixed reality with symbols and myths, the subjective with the objective, and commonsense with reason. The second work developed the structure an autobiography, and turned into a well-built novel. The strength in structure is what distinguishes the works of Hanna Meena. His novels are not too abstract that they lose touch with reality, yet not too documental as to lose the artistry of prose. They don’t lose their literary beauty while making political stand. His style is delicate, strong, poetic, and can show reality in different settings. Hanna Meena’s novels are significant among Arab novels as they talk about the life at sea, highlighting human and cultural values of the man-sea relationship.

Famous Works    

• Blue Lanterns
• The Sail and Storm
• The Sun in a Cloudy Day
• Al Yater
• Remains of Images
• The Swamp
• The Watchtower
• Sailor’s Stories
• Al Daqal
• The Tragedy of Demetrius
• The Harvest
• Blue Pigeon Among Clouds
• The End of a Brave Man
• The White Oak (Short Stories)
• Nazim Hikmzt (Study)
• Who Remembers Those Days (Short Stories)
• The Literature of War (Study)
• Obsessions of the Novelistic Experiment (Study)