No Road to Paradise: A Novel

by Hassan Daoud

In a small Lebanese village a disillusioned imam, diagnosed with terminal cancer, must face his demons. Having consented to an arranged marriage, he has found himself in a loveless union and lusts after another. To please his family, he took up the robe and turban of his forefathers but the expected path to fulfillment did not unfold before him. Meticulous, sparse prose quietly evokes the essence of rural life and the burden of tradition. Hassan Daoud’s masterful novel plumbs the depths of a man’s struggle with religion and his place in the world.

304 pages, Paperback

Published April 1, 2017

About the author

Hassan Daoud is a Lebanese writer and journalist. Born in the village of Noumairieh, his family moved to Beirut when he was a child. His university studies focused on Arabic literature. His journalistic career happened with the break of the Lebanese civil war.

Currently he works as an editor for Nawafez (the cultural supplement of the Beiruti newspaper Al-Mustaqbal).

So far, he has published eight novels and two volumes of short stories. Some of his works have been translated into English.