History of Maison NAAMAN pour la culture Publishing house. Download Books for Free

Maison Naaman pour la Culture (Dar Naaman lith-Thaqafa), was founded in 1979 by Mitri Naaman (1912-1994), poet and writer, known for his translations of Malraux, Maurois and Bernanos. His work was rewarded by two decorations: Al Ma'aref (Lebanon, 1985), and Chevalier des Arts et Lettres (France, 1989).

Maison Naaman pour la Culture was run since its foundation by his son and co-owner Naji Naaman who became sole owner in 1983.

In 1981, Naji Naaman published a first series of studies and researches about the Arab world entitled Siyassa wa Stratégia (Politics and Strategy).

In 1983 he began the publishing of the Encyclopedia of Contemporary Arab World (Mawsu'atul 'Alamil 'Arabiyyil Mu'assir). He also published in 1985 The Arab World, another series of studies and researches about the Arab world, and, in 2000, a new encyclopedia, Encyclopedia of Arab Events (Mawsu'atul Waqa'I'il 'Arabiyya).

The biographical volumes he first published in Arabic, as from 1985, were edited in English as from 1999 via Naaman Biographical Centre (NBC): i.e. 2000 Prominent Arabs of the 20th Century, and World of Arabs.

In 1991, Naji Naaman established a free of charge series of literary books entitled Ath-Thaqafa bil Majjan. He inaugurated in 1987 Galerie d'Art Naaman (Art Gallery), and created in 2002 Naji Naaman's Literary Prizes (Jawa'iz Naji Naaman al-Adabiyya) that awarded between 2003 and 2007 more than 225 laureates from all over the world, and made the publishing house a "polyglot" one printing in some forty different languages.

In 2007, on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the death of Monsignor Nicolas Naaman,

he created a new series of Targeted Literary Prizes (Jawa'iz Naji Naaman Al-Hadifa), i.e.:

Mitri Naaman _ Maison de Culture

Mitri Naaman,
painted by Arturo Ortis, 1955

- Archbishop Nicolas Naaman's Prize for human virtues.
- Mitri Naaman's Prize for the defense and the advance of Arabic language.

- Angélique Bacha's Prize for the consolidation of familial bonds.
- Marie-Louise El-Hawa Prize of moral literature for children.

The same year, he inaugurates "Mitri and Angélique Naaman Commemorative Room" (Salatu Mitri wa Angélique Naaman Al-Isti'adiyya), and organized a salon: "the Wednesday meetings" (Liqa'ul Arba'a').

It is to be notified that Naji Naaman opened in 1999 the stocks of Maison Naaman pour la Culture to any person or association whishing to acquire free of charge books, and thus on the occasion of the twentieth anniversary of the House foundation, the fifth anniversary of its founder death, and the proclamation of Beirut the Arab cultural capital.


Mitri and Naji Naaman, 1989	Last verses written by Mitri Naaman, on November 11, 1993	Marcelle Al-Achkar Executive secretary of the House