Heini Grunbaum

EMBRACED - In Syria with Love Heini Grunbaum

In the summer of 1989 I went to visit my dear friend Ahmed in Syria. This is his story and the stories of so many other people I met... ...and then we move fast forward to present time. Today, the 26th of August 2016 - "Updates and Thoughts on my book about Syria": In 1990 I began writing my book about my personal experiences in Syria. I was still a very young man and memories from my time in Syria were crystal clear and still dripping from the excitement. After about 60 pages I ran out of steam and it wasn't until 20 years later that I decided to finish my book with all of its unusual stories. During the writing process, the uprising in Syria began in March 2011. I was conflicted by it and tried a few times to draw some parallels from the new escalating conflict to the stories in my book. But I soon realized that my book about Syria, which is very personal and at times extreme, had to be a periodic piece, an image of the moment with absolutely no references to the future or present times... But what my book does bring to readers who are more interested in the current events rather than the past, is an exclusive insight into the Syrian Arab mentality. A chance to understand why people in this region of the world are particularly addicted to vengeance and brutal violence, and why, perhaps, they have such a short sighted understanding of their own future. Though my book is a patchwork of imperfections and seemingly trifling details, it reflects, now more than ever, upon the clashes between civilizations. Those captured by modern technology and the process of evolution, embracing it as it is. And those who take the new comforts for granted, but insist to continue living in the shadows of the Middle Ages. EMBRACED - In Syria with LoveHeini Grünbaum