"What did Farid al-Atrash gift to the readers of Al-Mawed magazine?"

A friendship that spanned decades connected the musician Farid al-Atrash and the late editor-in-chief of Al-Mawed magazine, Muhammad Badih Serbey. They used to meet daily, without interruption. On Sundays, which my father dedicated to going out with his family and having lunch at a restaurant, my father chose to have the musician join us on this family day. So every Sunday we would gather with him and his friends. Mrs. Salwa al-Qudsi and her family were also with us, and I carry many fond memories of what used to happen with us in those days. In the winter, lunch was at the famous fish restaurant "Sultan Ibrahim."

We children were in a state of constant protest, as we preferred eating pizza and burgers — or at the "Bristol" Hotel in Beirut. In the summer, we would have lunch in Lebanon's mountain resorts. I remember one day, while we were having lunch at one of the hotels, he asked the waiter about the staff meal, as he loved white beans, which were not on the restaurant menu.

When Al-Mawed magazine became a weekly, the musician wanted to gift the readers of Al-Mawed a special gift — and it was his personal memoirs, which he narrated himself about every stage of his life. He wrote the introduction in his own handwriting, and they were published weekly over several months. He even recorded the promotional announcement for these memoirs in his own voice.

On the fifty-first anniversary of his passing, the late musician remains in the hearts of his audience and loved ones, who carry in their hearts his memory that does not fade despite the passing of years.

— May Muhammad Badih Serbey