In Madrid, the presentation will be held on Wednesday, January 29 at 7:00 p.m. (at Calle Alcalá, 62), and it will include the participation of Dima Wannous herself, author of the book, with the accompaniment of Marina Sanmartín, a novelist and journalist for ABC Cultural The event will be presented by Karim Hauser, Casa Árabe’s International Relations Coordinator.

In Cordoba, it will be held on Thursday, January 30 at 7:30 p.m. with free entry until the event’s capacity is reached (at Calle Samuel de los Santos Gener, 9). Accompanying the author will be Matilde Cabello, a writer, poet and journalist for different audiovisual and written media in Cordoba.

How can a mother’s heart remain cold and at peace while her son, still alive, is being tortured all day long? Can life go back to its normal ways and return to its original pace as if nothing had ever happened? Can someone who has experienced the stench of death ever regain their sense of smell? In certain cases, does death somehow induce life and dignity? Would she have rather been a dignified, courageous wife, instead of living with a cowardly, submissive husband for thirty-two years? How does a human being turn into a monster? Does it happen suddenly or in stages? Dima Wannous attempts to answer these questions in “The Frightened Ones,” giving readers a closer look at the tortuous love story between Sulaima and Nasim, two youths who live mired in the anguish, panic and suffering of Syria, a country devastated by war. “The Frightened Ones” was a finalist for the International Award for Fiction in Arabic in 2018.

Matilde Cabello is a writer, poet and journalist for different audiovisual and written media in Cordoba. In the field of literary creation, Matilde has stood out as a poet and storyteller, becoming well-known in the early nineties when she won provincial, national and international awards, including the Luis Carrillo de Sotomayor and Poet Mario López Award, and later by publishing the poetry book La tierra oscura (The Dark Land) and the novel Wallada. La última luna (Wallada: The last moon). She currently works for Día de Córdoba and Grupo Joly (2001-2019), uninterruptedly writing weekly contributions of series, interviews, biographies, impressions, legends and historical and social reports, as well as works of investigative journalism on a local and provincial scale.