Stories of transition

Critically acclaimed best-selling author Rawi Hage is most known for writing novels, but with his new book – Stray Dogs – he is making a foray into short stories. This eclectic collection of tales takes readers from Beirut to Tokyo, introducing a diverse set of characters whose unique lives, as Hage states, “are defined by their relation to the photographic medium.” On Thursday, March 10, the AGO welcomed Rawi Hage along with Canadian visual artist and filmmaker Annie MacDonell for a conversation marking the publication of this highly anticipated story collection.

Rawi Hage was born in Beirut, Lebanon and immigrated to Canada as a child after living through nine years of the Lebanese Civil War. He has authored several acclaimed novels, including De Niro’s Game, Cockroach, Carnival and Beirut Hellfire Society, all of which have either won or been nominated for major awards (Giller Prize, Governor General’s Literary Award and more). 

We connected with Hage to find out more about Stray Dogs.    

AGOinsider: Can you describe what inspired you to put together this diverse and eclectic group of stories? Were any of them inspired by actual events?

Hage: Some of these stories were written a few years ago. During the pandemic, I decided to gather the ones I had written and add new ones. The stories are eclectic in their geographies and explorations of various social issues, but there is a thread that links them together: ideas about photography.

AGOinsider: Most of the characters in Stray Dogs exist between multiple locations, both “nation-states and states of mind”. Can you talk about why it was important for you to convey this sense of mobility and transition with these characters? 

Hage: These transitional states are reflections of a contemporary world that is more and more interconnected. But I also think the fact that many of these stories deal with the meaning of the image, and in particular the photographic image, gives a certain communality and universality to the transient characters, whose lives and thoughts are defined by their relation to the photographic medium.

AGOinsider: Stray Dogs is your first collection of short stories. How would you describe your experience writing short stories compared to novels? Is there one you prefer more?

Hage: My very first attempt at writing was, in fact, in the shorter form (through a catalogue to an exhibition). I like the instant gratification of completing a story. A novel is a longer commitment. Having said that, there are confinements within the shorter form that one has to be constantly aware of. 

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