Queer Lebanese Literature: Violence and Queerness in Koolaids and Bareed Mista3jil

Abstract

The presence of violence within the queer community is not unheard of, however, its use as a literary tool to queer characters is a more pressing topic. In this thesis, the use of violence by Rabih Alameddine in his debut novel, Koolaids: The Art of War, is explored as a queering element that acts to erase the individual and unique narratives of the characters it is portraying. In contrast, Meem’s, Bareed Mista3jil, introduces violence as secondary to the narratives and as a more supporting element. By exploring the different elements of both texts, including language, gender, religion, as well as a deep dive into violence and its forms, the thesis argues that the characters in Koolaids are flat and unidimensional while the characters in Bareed are more well-rounded.