Press the link to access the magazine: http://theology.balamand.edu.lb/index.php/digitized-publications/valmont-magazine/1932-valmont-magazine-issue----1

The inaugural issue of Valmont, a journal dedicated to culture and humanities, has been published by the Saab Cultural Center at the University of Balamand.

This first issue exhibits a lead article titled “Balamand and Philosophy,” which is an excerpt from the forthcoming autobiography of Dr. Adib Saab, featuring the writer’s experience as Professor of Philosophy at Saint John of Damascus Institute of Theology since its founding days in the early seventies of the last century. The literature section includes poems by attorney Shawki Sassine (Lebanon) and Dr. Rashed Issa (Jordan). The Diaspora section presents a documentary article by Nazir Zaitoun on Arabic literature in Brazil, a short story by George Hassoun Maalouf, a colloquial poem by Zaki Konsol, and a testimonial by attorney Dr. Renato Ourives, a third-generation descendant of the Antiochian migration in Brazil, reflecting on his impressions following a visit to Lebanon.

The books section offers reviews of four titles published in the past two years. The news section highlights recent activities of various research centers, including the Saab Cultural Center.

This issue also introduces the Center itself and calls upon researchers and writers to contribute to its initiatives, emphasizing the values of seriousness, originality, and quality. It includes examples of proposed topics and invites scholars to submit studies on the theme “The Role of the Humanities in Shaping the University” for the upcoming academic journal to be launched by the Center.

In his editorial, Editor-in-Chief Adib Saab outlines the journal’s vision and explains the origin of its name. Based on historical and linguistic evidence, he argues that Valmont - derived from the valleys and hills surrounding the area - is the original name of Balamand, rather than the commonly assumed Belmont (“beautiful mountain”).

Valmont is published three times a year, in January, May, and September, and is currently available in digital format, with plans for future print editions. The first issue can be downloaded from the Saab Cultural Center’s website and Facebook page. Readers are encouraged to send their feedback to: SaabCenter@balamand.edu.lb

It is worth noting that the newly established Adib and Helene Saab Center for Antiochian Letters and Culture at the University of Balamand aims at promoting scholarship and creativity in the various fields of humanities within the line of enlightenment and renaissance, and highlighting the contribution of the Antiochian Levantine region to Arab and universal culture through research, publications, and support of creative endeavors in fiction, theater, poetry, and the arts, with a particular focus on the cultural and social dimensions of the Antiochian Diaspora. ​


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