Suleiman Grants Maalouf National Order of Cedar Medal
President Michel Suleiman honored Lebanese-French author Amin Maalouf at a ceremony held at Baabda Palace on Saturday.
Suleiman granted him the National Order of the Cedar medal with the Rank of Grand Cordon, and said a new stamp emblazoned with Maalouf's face will be issued soon.
“Lebanon appreciates the contributions made by Maalouf,” Suleiman said in a speech.
“Maalouf stresses that our nation and the Orient require a strong belief that opens shuttered hearts through tolerance,” he said.
“My continuous obsession is the Lebanese dream which must be achieved,” said Maalouf after Suleiman's speech.
“The world is still searching for a formula of coexistence,” he said, adding it was the ambition of Lebanese expatriates to propose the most successful formula which without it no one would have a future.
Maalouf, who was born in Beirut in 1949, lives in France since 1976. He writes in French but his works have been translated into more than 40 languages.
His literary work includes novels, essays and opera librettos, notably The Crusades through Arab Eyes, Leo the African, The Gardens of Light, Balthasar’s Odyssey and Adriana Mater.
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