Khaled Khalifa: The extraordinary novelist who captured Syria's tragedy

By then, he had already started making a name for himself in the literary scene, especially with In Praise of Hatred (2006), a groundbreaking book that put the female voice at the forefront. Its characters suffered greatly as they trembled under oppression and dictatorship.

Through his bold words, Khalifa delivered a long-lasting shock to a generation of Syrians; even the Syrian regime felt their tremors.

In Praise of Hatred was one of the first works in the early 21st century that didn't use cheap gimmicks to convey the simple idea that people lived in a violent, fearful, and anxious society, as victims of tyranny.

The narrative was straightforward, drawing from everyday Syrian life while infusing it with stomach-churning details from the author's own imagination.

A tale of torn cities

But Khalifa's debut novel was not a fair representation of his abilities as a writer. Its fame stole away from the solitude he so loved. Indeed, it burdened him. It reinforced the things he was trying to escape from, namely, being unable to choose the people or company that he surrounded himself with.

Its success left him with one burning question: When will the second novel come?

The politically charged novel gave him a sense of political authority, too. At the time, other books about Syrian cities and Syrian society had begun to appear on shelves. But Khalifa's was more confrontational and combative, featuring a modern story narrated with cruelty and drenched in poverty, death, and sectarianism.

In no uncertain terms, he declared to the world (and to himself): "We are not well."

Khalifa engaged in politics without hesitation.

While the words of a single novel could not satisfy him, he was adept at writing articles. He was capable of penning linguistically sound arguments better than any experienced politician. For him, politics was a moral duty.

He had read such texts from an early age, which enabled him to insert himself into that world for a long time to come.

However, his subsequent novels weren't focused solely on politics. He had a knack for developing fully fleshed-out and realistic characters, rather than ones who were driven strictly by their moral compass.

He was inspired by a people he never left. His memories were intimately tied to Syrian society, despite the brutality and pain that came with them.

Khalifa didn't write with the purpose of making politics appealing to his readers, but nonetheless, he knew politics like the back of his hand.

The ruin and destruction that began in Syria since the military's seizure of power until today, especially following the 1980s, represented a heavy burden for every Syrian novelist.

But Khalifa's experiences were more intellectual. The plight of the Syrian people, in general, came to him as a familiar muse which inspired fiction, rather than a historical account.

Despite the variety of characters he wrote, he bestowed upon each of them a distinct individuality. This was evident in his second novel, No Knives in this City, in which he wrote of Aleppo's uninterrupted history of destruction and tragedy.

Each stage in the five chapters had a painful beginning and end. Society's woes would merge with each character's woes, and this combined misery built and built and built without ever letting up.

Khalifa wrote in a way that made his stories feel more like a memory to his readers, closer to their hearts than they would have imagined.

His novel Death Is Hard Work explored the impact of the Syrian war on its people and the symbolism of death. It examined the history of corpses and how the world of the living overlaps with the world of the dead. It also highlighted roads, geographical regions, and borders, all of which were roaring with death in their own ways.

Turning to the screen

Khalifa was also an influential screenwriter in Syria. He described it as an ideal lifestyle for any writer.

Working on screenplays – and mastering the art of screenwriting – allowed him to express himself emotionally, while also developing both professionally and technically.

He was very clear on one thing: he wanted to be a financially stable creator, without waiting for his next cheque from an article or a novel. He knew very well that books were in crisis; they would never yield the security he needed.

His solution was to turn to screenwriting. His experience in the field was no less creative or rewarding than his experience as a novelist, and he always cherished embarking on a new beginning.

His series represented a tremendous breakthrough for regional television. They put Aleppo on the map, challenging the overwhelming dominance of Damascus in Syrian drama.

He laid the groundwork for a different kind of drama altogether, which fused culture and history while exploring the city's many horrors and transformations.

Khalifa gained immense popularity and admiration in the industry, attracting a substantial fan base. This was particularly evident during the period of oppression that every Syrian intellectual faced while standing up against the regime, which resulted in their social isolation or expulsion from the country under political pressure.

However, Khalifa managed to cement his place among readers and non-readers alike. He was a novelist, screenwriter, and teacher who always stayed true to everything he stood for.

Sculpting the Syrian identity

In all of his endeavours, from novels and diaries to TV series, Khalifa was focused on sculpting the Syrian identity.

This encompassed women, intellectuals, the poor, the deceased, and every hero or heroine who fought until their death.

As an author, he skillfully portrayed the fragmentation of society in a way that was easy to grasp. He achieved this through poetic, visual, and epic language, devoid of symbolism. His writing transcended genres. It was simply a tool to create familiarity and forge a connection with his readers.

His ultimate goal was always to captivate them.

Khalifa was able to completely disappear behind the pen. Instead of inserting his own heavy-handed political or ethical opinions, he crafted nuanced novels that said nothing of his own persona.

He conceived of a diverse cast of characters instead, each with their own distinct perspective, while his storylines fractured this way and that, tumbling down countless narrative threads.

In interviews, Khalifa never sought to hide his own vulnerability. He vehemently confronted tyranny without ever hiding his fragility or tenderness.

He shared sentiments like "I'm afraid to watch videos of Aleppo," "I like Damascus because it is very noisy," "People are more beautiful behind glass," and "I don't like fearful people in a totalitarian state".

This openness spoke of the author's deep humanity, which dominated everything he wrote or even attempted to say.

Khalifa was the novelist who turned Syria into cities and characters with catastrophic outcomes. Yet he kept a mindful distance from the narratives, to not taint them with his own attachments.

During his first screenwriting workshops, where he began teaching anyone and everyone interested in the art, he would say: "I have known prison without entering it, like all my friends for whom I was waiting."

After all, he had imprisoned himself for a long time to voraciously read all the novels he could get his hands on. Later, he detained himself to write his first novel.

Passion for solitude

After 50, Khalifa's passion turned to writing about loneliness, though this did not reflect his own life. It was common knowledge that his home was a welcoming place for anyone who had wished to pay him a visit.

But perhaps it was because he had fewer opportunities to explore loneliness that he chose to write about it.

Khalifa was afraid to see the ruins of his home city with his own eyes. He did not want his childhood memories to contaminate every facet of his life. Instead, he filled his time with the many people and faces who knew him well, or stopped by to say hello.

Khalifa's footsteps – and the footsteps of those who visited him – still echo today. As do his final messages and constant invitations to joy.

Through his actions, thoughts, and emotions, this solitary individual inspired countless others. With the aid of a vast emotional framework, he sought to build the civil society he so dearly cherished.

Khalifa never erected a barrier to separate him from his readers. In every Syrian city he lived in, or passed through, there were people who could confidently say, "Khaled Khalifa is my friend."

As such, Khalifa's death came as a sudden shock to the many admirers who viewed him more as a personal companion than a mere public figure.

Khalifa was a person of enormous meaning and influence and a versatile, intellectual, and talented writer. Between those two immense worlds laced with tragedy, his pen has finally come to a rest.

Khalifa's works

Khaled Khalifa authored several novels, most of which have been translated into various languages:

• No-one Prayed Over Their Graves, 2019
• Death Is Hard Work, 2016
• No Knives in the Kitchens of This City, 2016
• In Praise of Hatred, 2008
• The Gypsy Notebooks, 2000
• The Guard of Deception, 1993

He also wrote screenplays for the following television series:

• Rainbow, 2000
• A Portrait of the Jalali Family, 2000
• Shadow of a Woman, 2007
• The Godfather – Al Sharq Club, Season 2, 2016