While studying Commerce and Finance Administration, Hassan, 36, began his career in publishing as Director of Administration in Dar Al Fikr.

In 1997, still working in Dar al Fikr, he established Dar Al Fikr Al Mouaser, where he is currently Executive Director. Mouaser in Arabic means ‘modern’, and his idea was to promote e-books and progressively convert published titles and encyclopaedias into e-books.

Considering marketing to be crucial for publishing, Hassan attends different workshops on the subject, and implements innovative marketing strategies into his publishing plans.

Book Pitch

طيور الجنوب (Birds of the South)
by Amani Abu al-Fadl (Dar Al-Fikr)
Awards: Best Novel (2005)

Does the crisis of the Arab nation really come from outside? This is the question that traverses Amani’s award-winning novel. Focusing on the life of Salah, an Arab living in the US, the book traces the changes in life for Arab immigrants after 9/11 and focuses on Muslims tolerance to one another. Walking on the street one day, Salah finds himself defending Laila, his Arab neighbour, from a xenophobic attack. Falling in love with her, he sets forth religious conflicts between the girl’s Shiite family and his Salah relatives. Murdered on her wedding day, Laila becomes the trigger for a series of questions on religious intolerance and the contemporary Arab world.

The three other books Hasan is presenting from Syria are:

صدى من مدينة الضباب (An Echo from the City of Fog) by Nariman Ghassan Uthman (Dar Al-Fikr)
Awards: Literary Creativity and Criticism Award (2004)
A novel about a girl of a mixed Arabic and British background, caught in the cultural clash between Middle Eastern and Western worldviews. A psychological portrait of a life full of confusions and surprises.

لا أحد يعرف ما أريده (Nobody Knows What I Want) by Ahmad al-Qari (Dar Al-Fikr)
Awards: Best Novel (2004)
Ahmad al-Qari’s book narrates the life of a teenager from the Moorish Desert, focusing on his growing up impacts on his family. A story about generational clashes, and the threats these imply for family union.

عوائق التحول الديموقراطي (Impediments of Democratic Change) by Dr. Sayyid Wuld Abah & Dr. Sa’id Bin Sa’id al-Alawi (Dar Al-Fikr)
Two dialogues on the obstacles facing democracy in the Arab states. The first one deals with democratic changes in the West, the second with a series of impasses for democracy in the Arab world –from the domination of multi-democratic values to political openness.