The Image of War in the Novel: The Last Resurrection of Batoul by Ziad Hamami

Abstract

This study examines the novel The Last Resurrection of Al-Batoul by the novelist Ziad as a literary text that reflects the outcomes of the Syrian revolution and the profound violence, oppression, and human suffering it entailed. It considers the Syrian revolution as part of the broader movement known as the "Arab Spring," whose effects extended beyond the political sphere to social, psychological, and cultural structures of Arab societies, especially, the Syrian community. The research aims to analyze how the novel represents these transformations through a structuralist approach complemented by other critical perspectives, focusing on dismantling the narrative structure and internal artistic elements, as well as the use of symbols and significations employed by the author to convey his humanitarian and political vision. The novel highlights war and revolution as complex phenomena that transcend military and political frameworks to affect the Syrian self’s structure, revealing internal fragmentation and social and ethical collapse. The neighborhood of "Al-Bandara” a central locale in the text transforms into a stage for the dramatic changes impacting society and collective consciousness. The study concludes that The Last Resurrection of Al-Batoul does not offer a mere documentary narrative of reality but constructs a profound artistic vision blending realism and symbolic density to craft a literary testimony pulsating with tension and rebellion, reflecting the fragmentation of the self and loss of meaning amid chaos and destruction. This makes it one of the most significant literary works documenting the tragedy of the Syrian people through a mature aesthetic and critical perspective