(7 February 2017) “When you start writing a story you never know how it will end. You have a vague idea of the plot and the message you want to convey but nothing certain. The characters slowly come to life, growing and enlivening your days. Sometimes you stop writing thinking that it is pointless, giving in to the difficulty of the Arabic language. Arabic is a ravenous dragon sometimes! So then you put it aside and begin to create something else. Taking a picture here, making a drawing there while the years go by when suddenly your hero is calling out to you. You then shyly go back to it and the hero of the story appreciates it and finishes your story for you. This is what happened with Momo. He has been living with me for years and this year he decided to come out. At one point I let him go and I found myself in the arms of people whom I did not expect would be there. ” Carmine Cartolano shares with the Facebook universe his experience at the International Book Fair of Cairo on Sunday where he presented his new book “Momo” which he wrote in Arabic. He is a writer, artist, translator, Italian language teachers originally from Buonabitacolo in the province of Salerno. Cartolano studied Arabic and Farsi at Naples Eastern University and has been living in Cairo since 1999 and is where he has already published his book “Masriyyano” (Dar al-Ain, 2012). “Arabic calligraphy is one with the heart-line. Each letter is borne from the previous one as if they were offspring. Arabic is the language of the heart ” explains Cartolano. He also adds about the fair, “It was great … the love of my students, my friends, my colleagues, and the new people I met- a lot of warmth and affection! I don’t know what to say … nor how to express my gratitude to those who, from near and far were therefore me. Thanks. Thank you so much”. (Red)
