Damascus Nights – Rafik Schami

English Edition

 Salim could certainly consider himself to be lucky. He had a way with words, great imaginative power and an exquisite gift to tell stories, all of which ensured him his clients' loyalty for quite a long time. Coachman by profession, Salim used to tell fascinating stories to his patrons, so that competence never posed a real threat to his business, as long as Salim could keep his gift of the gab. The time came for the loquacious coachman to retire. He kept safely in his mind the infinity of stories that he learnt and recited throughout his long years as a coachman, stories that he would store in his mind as if they were naked frames that he would go on to embellish with infinite ornaments and adornments. One day, Salim received an unusual visit. How could the old coachman have imagined that his Fairy -if such a creature exists- would show up bearing such an odd message?

German Edition

The Fairy assured him that she had taken care that he could successfully wrap up each and every one of his stories. Now it was time for her to retire, so she could not keep in charge of such an arduous undertaking. Salim would not be able to speak for three months, and if after that period of time he had received seven gifts -the right ones- he would be allotted a new Fairy and would have his voice back for him to keep on narrating stories. Salim had seven close friends: Mehdi, the Geography teacher; Junis, the owner of a café whose faithful patrons were always happy because he had the best hakavatis in Damascus; former Minister Faris; Musa, a hairdresser who couldn't use a pair of scissors without almost snipping off his customers' ears, who didn't mind being exposed to the threat posed by the former as long as they could hear him tell beautiful stories, stories that even the best hakavatis would feel proud to recite; Tuma, the “immigrant”, a Damascene who had to flee to America during the First World War and who came back thirty years later on the pretext that he just couldn't get used to the American lifestyle; ex-convict Isam, who served a twenty-four-years sentence for a murder that he didn't commit; and last but not least, Ali, who became a locksmith because he was a man of few words.  

Front Cover

 The seven friends try to help Salim to find out what exactly are those seven gifts he must come up with: the coachman is offered different sets of objects of different kinds, but none of them seem to be the ones that will give him back his voice. One of the friends suggests that it might be seven dinners at his friends' homes, another one that it might be seven different wines; seven trips, going through seven valleys and seven mountains... At long last, one of his friends comes up with the key answer: seven different stories that can untie the coachman's tongue as well as tickle his ears. The seven friends tell each a story on seven different nights. All of them but Ali, who could never tell a story. His wife would have to replace him and, breaking all moulds, unleashing the anger of some of her husband's friends, she will come to make part of the group of intellectuals for a night. The stories they tell are either fictitious or autobiographical or else stories halfway between fiction and reality. Be it as it may, by the time the last story has been told, Fatmeh's story (Ali's wife's), Salim recovers his voice. Fatmeh tells a beautiful story about her mother, a tale until then untold, also unknown to her husband until that moment. As announced, Salim recovers his voice and with it his power of speech. There is a question that will remain unsolved for his sceptical friends, though: whether the coachman was truly ever speechless, or whether it all was but a childish game.

Schami, Rafik. Narradores de la Noche. Trad. Antón Dieterich. Madrid: Siruela, 1992.

Narradores de la noche - Rafik Schami

Rafik Schami y sus cuentos de Damasco

 

Salim podía considerarse verdaderamente un afortunado. Su maravilloso don de la palabra, su poder imaginativo y su fabulosa facilidad para contar historias le aseguraron durante muchos años la fidelidad de sus clientes. De profesión cochero, Salim acostumbraba a contar fascinantes historias a sus parroquianos, de modo que la competencia no constituía un peligro para su negocio, siempre y cuando Salim pudiera mantener viva su locuacidad. Al elocuente cochero le llegó la hora de jubilarse. Este siguió guardando en su memoria la infinidad de historias que aprendió y recitó durante sus años de cochero, historias que almacenaba en su memoria como si de armazones desnudos se tratase, que luego cubría de infinitos adornos y abalorios. Un día Salim recibió una extraña visita. ¿Cómo habría podido imaginar el viejo cochero que su Hada -si es que tales criaturas existen- se presentaría con tal extraño mensaje? El Hada aseguraba haber velado por que todas y cada una de las historias que él contaba llegara a buen puerto. Ahora le tocaba a ella retirarse y no podía seguir encargándose de tan ardua tarea. Salim perdería el habla durante tres meses, y si al final de dicho periodo de tiempo había recibido siete regalos, se le asignaría una nueva Hada y recuperaría la voz para poder seguir narrando historias. Salim tenía siete amigos: Mehdi, el profesor de geografía; Junis, el propietario de un café del que todo el mundo salía contento y que contaba con los mejores hakavatis de Damasco; el ex mistro Faris; Musa, un peluquero que no sabía usar las tijeras sin asestar cortes en las orejas de sus clientes, que se exponían a tal pena con tal de poder escucharle recitar hermosas historias, de las que se sentirían orgullosos hasta los mejores hakavatis; Tuma, el “emigrante”, un damasceno que hubo de huir a América durante la Primera Guerra Mundial y que regresó treinta años más tarde so pretexto de no haber logrado acostumbrarse a la vida en los EEUU; el ex presidiario Isam, que pasó veinticuatro años en la cárcel por un crimen que no había cometido; y Alí, que se metió a cerrajero porque era hombre de pocas palabras.



Cubierta del libro



Los siete amigos tratan de ayudar a Salim a encontrar esos siete regalos: el cochero recibe distintos juegos de objetos, de diversa índole, pero que no parecen devolverle la voz. Uno sugiere que podría tratarse de siete cenas en las casas de sus amigos, de siete vinos; otro que de siete viajes, pasar por siete valles y siete montañas... Por fin, uno de los amigos da con la solución: siete historias distintas que puedan desatar la lengua del cochero y endulzar sus oídos. Los siete amigos narran una historia cada uno en distintas noches. Todos menos Alí, que nunca supo contar historias. Su mujer habrá de tomar el relevo y, rompiendo moldes y desatando la ira de alguno de los contertulios de su esposo, pasará a formar parte del grupo de intelectuales por una noche. Los cuentos narrados son ficticios, autobiográficos o relatos a medio camino entre la ficción y la realidad. Sea como fuere, Salim recupera la voz tras la última historia contada, la de Fatmeh, la esposa de Alí. Fatmeh narra la hermosa historia de su madre, que nunca antes contó, ni siquiera a su marido. Salim recupera la voz, quedando aún para sus amigos incrédulos un interrogante sin resolver: si realmente el cochero llegó a perder la voz o si no fue más que un juego de chiquillos.

Retrato de Rafik Schami (arriba)

Shami, Rafik. Narradores de la Noche. Trad. Antón Dieterich. Madrid: Siruela, 1992. (Título original: Erzähler der Nacht).