ABSTRACT
Nahar’s life circumstances forced him to obtain employment at an early age, and in 1955, he came to work as a farm-hand for the al-Meshrif family. He developed a liking for experimenting with different economic pursuits and succeeded in pulling himself out of poverty. He became an experimenter, an entrepreneur, and a merchant, as well as investing in real estate. He married three wives, but being childless has given him a psychological complex in a culture that values children. His determination and struggle to liberate himself from poverty is equated with an extremely strong desire, perhaps even hedonism, to live life in the fullest. Although admired by some, in the eyes of his own village community he is regarded as a reckless adventurer. Nahar is a colourful and fascinating character; a kind of deviant cultural broker, and self-made, hard-working man. Handsome, humorous and adventurous, his letters open ways into a young man’s desires, ambitions, and troubles in a way that draws the reader close to this rather idiosyncratic character.
