Monthly Archives: July 2013

Abdelkader Fehri received a State Doctorate in Arabic Linguistics from the Sorbonne and is currently Professor of Arabic and Comparative Linguistics at the Faculty of Letters and Human Sciences and Director of the Institute for Study and Research on Arabization at Mohammed V University in Rabat, Morocco. He is the founding President of the Moroccan Linguistics Society and Linguistic Research in Rabat, chief editor of the Linguistic Knowledge series in Casablanca, and member of the editorial boards of several other journals.

Professor Fehri authored 9 books and numerous publications in Arabic, English and French, dealing with different aspects of Arabic and comparative linguistics. His book, Issues in the Structure of Arabic Clauses and Words, lays out the fundamental aspects of standard Arabic syntax, morphology and lexicon, and is an important reference for researchers of Arabic linguistics. He also edited close to 20 other books and proceedings. Many of his publications have had a deep impact on current research on modern Arabic linguistics, particularly his contributions to the theory of clausal and nominal structures, and more recently his studies into temporal and nominal reference, plurality and genericity in Arabic language, and the interactions of morpho-syntax, semantics and lexicon.

Fehri’s profundity and creativity have earned him worldwide recognition. He received Morocco’s Highest Merit Award of Science and Culture and the Chevalier Medal in 1992. His other honors include numerous invited professorships and lectureships at major universities in the West and the Arab and Islamic worlds, as well as memberships of learned institutions and linguistics societies worldwide.

This biography was written in the year the prize was awarded.

Tammam Hassan memorized the Holy Quran at the age of 10 and completed his general and College education in Egypt, earning a Diploma and a License in Education from Dar Al-Ulum College in Cairo. In 1946, he traveled to the U.K. to study phonology at London University, from which he received a master’s degree in 1949 and a Ph.D. degree in 1952. His subsequent academic career spanned more than 50 years, and was marked by outstanding accomplishments in Arabic linguistics.

Professor Tammam became a professor at Dar Al Ulum College in Cairo University in 1964 and was the Dean of that College in 1972. He also served as Egypt’s Cultural Counsel in Nigeria, and as a Member of the Arabic Language Academy in Cairo, Secretary General of the Permanent Arabic Language Committee of the Egyptian Supreme Council of Universities and Founding President of the Egyptian Society of Linguistics. In addition to Cairo University, he taught at Khartoum University in Sudan, Muhammad V University in Morocco and Um Al-Qura University in Saudi Arabia.

Professor Omar’s contributions to the advancement of Arabic Linguistics (phonetics; syntax; semantics; lexicon etc) and grammar appeared in 8 books and numerous scholarly articles. His achievements were recognized by international and Arab prizes. A commemorative book was written in his honor by his colleagues and former students in Arab countries. He is best known for his book The Arabic Language: its Form and Meanings, which incorporates most of his original ideas and theories, especially his theory of Tadafur Al-Qara’en (conjunctional synergism), a standard text in many Arab universities. He supervised more than 60 post-graduate students and translated 5 important books, namely: De Lacy O’Leary’s How Greek Science Passed to Arabs and Islamic Thought and Its Place in History; Bertrand Russell’s The Impact of Science in Society; Lewis’s Language in Society, and Norwood’s Discourse and Process: Toward a Multidisciplinary Science. Professor Omar was an Emeritus Professor at Cairo University.

This biography was written in the year the prize was awarded.

Hussein Nassar was educated at Fuad Al-Awal University (Cairo University). After graduation, he pursued a distinguished career, spanning nearly half a century at the same University. He became a university professor in 1969, and was the Dean of the College of Arts and Director of the Arabic Manuscripts Institute and the Egyptian Academy of Arts.

In addition to his numerous scholarly articles, Professor Nassar published more than 50 books dealing with different genres of Arabic literature, language arts, history, and Islamic thought. His works include analyses and editions of ancient manuscripts, poem selections, studies of the language of the Holy Qur’an and translations (from English to Arabic) of several important texts, such as D.S. Margoliouth’s Lectures on Arabic Historians, B. Lewis’s Land of the Enchanters, Egyptian Short Stories from the Earliest Times to the Present Day; J. Horovitz’s The Earliest biographies of the Prophet and their authors, and three of Henry G. Farmer’s books: Sources of Arabic Music, History of Arabic Music and Music and Songs of the Arabian Nights.

His authoritative book (in Arabic): The Arabic Dictionary; its Evolution and Development is one of the hallmarks of modern Arabic lexicography. First published in 1956, and reprinted several times; this classic text continues to be a major reference for students and researchers in this field. It is, however, only one of several examples of Nassar’s erudition and scholarship.

Professor Nassar’s seminal contributions earned him one of the highest recognitions in Egypt, the State Award of Appreciation in 1986. His other honors include invited lectureships and membership of learned societies. He worked as a corresponding member of the Arabic Language Academies of Iraq and Syria.

This biography was written in the year the prize was awarded.

After completing college education, Husni Hussein received a Diploma of Arabic Language and Literature from the Institute of Arabic Studies in Cairo and master’s and Ph.D. degrees in modern Arabic literature from Cairo University, Egypt. He worked for 40 years in the field of education, first as a teacher at the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) schools and the Teachers’ Institute in Palestine, then as a teaching staff at different Arab universities in Algiers, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Jordan.

Professor Hussein was a prolific writer with varied interests in Arabic literature; he was also a leading scholar and historian of Palestinian literature. He published 8 books and numerous scholarly articles specifically dealing with contemporary Palestinian literature, including his widely cited 4-volume book, Poetry of the

Palestinian Resistance. The latter book is an important study of the Palestinian literary movement during the British mandate and the subsequent Israeli occupation of Palestine. It analyzes the works of Palestinian poets in diaspora and the role of popular poetry in the Palestinian struggle for independence. Hussein also published critical reviews and biographies of Palestinian novelists and poets, such as Rashid Hussein, Hussein Al-Bihairi and Emile Habibi, and contributed extensively to other more general aspects of literature, both in Arabic and English. His other books included: Readings in International Resistance Poetry and Arab Travel Literature, in addition to translations of several classic literary and educational books.

He was a passionate defender of Palestinian liberation and a regular participant in related conferences, symposia and official and Popular Palestinian festivities.

This biography was written in the year the prize was awarded.

Husam Al-Khatib obtained a Diploma in Education and BA in English Literature from Damascus University, and Ph.D. in Comparative Literature from Cambridge University in 1965. He became a full professor at Damascus University in 1970, and was Chairman of the Department of Arabic Language and Vice Dean of the College of Arts. He helped establish the Educational and Cultural Affairs Office of the Palestinian Liberation Organization. He was also an assistant to the Syrian Minister of Higher Education, Cultural Advisor in the Syrian Government and Consultant to the People’s Assembly. He founded the College of Arts in Taizz University in Yemen and served as its first Dean. He was also a Fullbright Fellow at Indiana University and a visiting researcher at Portland State University in Portland, Oregon. He also served as Professor of Comparative Literature at Qatar University until 2004, and thereafter as Director of the Translation Center in Qatar.

Al-Khatib is an erudite Arab writer with diverse interests in Arabic and comparative literature. His discerning analyses of the works of several Palestinian writers and poets, and his insights of the impact of the Palestinian tragedy on these works, established him as one of the leading scholars of contemporary Palestinian literature. His books and articles dealing with the contributions of Palestinian literary critics at home and in diaspora are of considerable importance in this field.

Al-Khatib is a member of the Arab Writers Union, the Palestinian Writers Union and several national and international associations of comparative literature. He is also the founder and editor of two Arabic journals, Arab Parliament and Roots, and chief or associate editor of other Arab literary journals.

Professor Al-Khateeb has written numerous books and articles on the Palestinian Literature and creative writings of various figures in Palestine and in the Diaspora.

This biography was written in the year the prize was awarded.

Mansour Al-Hazmi received his general education in Makkah, Saudi Arabia. Then, he obtained a BA from Cairo University in 1958 and a Ph.D. in modern Arabic literature from the School of African and Oriental Studies at London University in 1966. He became a professor of Arabic Literature at King Saud University in Riyadh in 1978.

Professor Al-Hazmi’s research interests focus on the Arabic historical novel in general, in particular novels and short stories in Saudi Arabia. He authored or co-authored several books and articles in both areas. His academic career spans more than 40 years, during which he held different offices at King Saud University, including Deanships of the College of Arts and the University Studies Center for Women Students. He was also an appointed member of the Saudi Consultative Council.

He is a dynamic participant in cultural and intellectual activities in his country and abroad. He was the first editor-in-chief of Al-Adab, the official journal of the College of Arts at King Saud University, and a member of the editorial board of Al-Dara, a popular cultural magazine printed in Riyadh. He is also a member of the Riyadh Cultural Club, the Board of Trustees of Abd Al-Aziz Al-Babtain Prize for Arabic Poetry (Kuwait) and Saudi Arabia’s Supreme Committee for State Prizes in Arabic Literature.

This biography was written in the year the prize was awarded.

Ibrahim Al-Saafin obtained his BA in Arabic Language and Arts in 1966, MA and Ph.D. in modern Arabic literature from Cairo University in 1978, and a diploma of Education from Kuwait University in 1975.

Professor Al-Saafin currently teaches modern Arabic literature at the College of Arts in the Jordanian University in Amman, and is the Director of its Library. He also served as Vice-Dean of the College of Post Graduate Studies at that University in 1995. Prior to joining the Jordanian University, he was a professor at Al-Yarmouk University for more than 10 years. He also served as a visiting professor at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville from 1984 until 1985 and the University of Sharjah in the UAE, and the United Arab Emirates University in Al-Ain from 1996 until 1997. He spent a sabbatical year at King Saud University in Riyadh from 1985 until 1986.

Al-Saafin is the President of the Jordanian Society of Literary Criticism, a founding member of the Union of Arab Folklore Researchers, and a member of the Jordanian Writers League and the Board of Trustees of Abd Al-Aziz Al-Babtain Prize for Arabic Poetry. He is also a corresponding member of Aligarh Academy (India) and contributing editor to the Encyclopedia of Islamic Civilization (Language and Literature Section) and several Jordanian literary and research journals. He received the Jerash Festival Award and the Jordanian State Prize for Literature in 1993.

This biography was written in the year the prize was awarded.

Izz Ad-Din Ismail received his BA from Fuad Al-Awal University in 1951, and his master’s and Ph.D. degrees from Ain Shams University in 1959. His academic journey at Ain Shams University started in 1951 and extended for nearly 50 years, during which he became Professor of Arabic Literature in 1972, Dean of the College of Arts in 1980. He also served as Director of the Arab Cultural Center in Bonn (Germany) in 1964, Secretary General of the Egyptian Supreme Council for Culture in 1984, President of the Egyptian Academy of Arts in 1985, Chairman of the Egyptian Book Organization in 1982, and professor or visiting professor at different universities throughout the Arab World.

Professor Ismail’s books (totaling 20) and numerous seminal articles bear witness to his prominence as an intellectual and literary critic. He insightfully associated modern literary concepts with classical views, and was characterized in his writings by profundity and vision, as well as moderation. This allowed him to make significant contributions to both contemporary and traditional schools of Arabic literary criticism. His impact as a literary critic and thinker is best exemplified by his pioneering research embodied in his book: The Aesthetic Foundations of Arabic Literary Criticism. His other literary texts include: Abbasid Poetry; Contemporary Arabic Poetry; Psychology of Literature and Literary and Linguistic Sources of Arabic Heritage. He translated several novels from world literature, including Forster’s 1924 novel: A Passage to India.

Professor Ismail was the founder of the Egyptian Association of Literary Criticism in 1988, the Mobile Library and four literary journals. He was an avid participant in the Egyptian cultural life, and was widely known and respected in academic and cultural circles throughout the Arab world. His contributions were recognized – in addition to the King Faisal International Prize for Arabic Literature – by the Egyptian State Prize for Literature in 1985, and the Order of Sciences and Arts (First Class) in 1990.

This biography was written in the year the prize was awarded.

Abdullah Al-Tayyeb had a remarkable academic career of more than half a century, during which he emerged as one of the most prominent scholars of Arabic literature and language in the 20th Century.

The versatility of Al-Tayyib’s works is best exemplified by his groundbreaking book: A Guide to Understanding Arabic Poetry, an enormous Arabic text, written over a 35-year period. The first three volumes are regarded as the most thorough analysis known of the composition, rhythm, unity and other features of Arabic poetry since pre-Islamic eras. The fourth volume – a landmark text of over 1,500 pages – includes exhaustive details of the role of both ancient and modern Arabic literary critics, the development of the Arabic poem through the centuries, and its impact on European poets from Dante to Andrew Marvel, Blake and the Romantic poets. Professor Al-Tayyeb wrote hundreds of other books and scholarly and literary articles in Arabic and English, covering Arabic poetry, prose, anthology and literary criticism., In addition to his own poems, novels, plays and children’s stories, he also contributed several entries to the British Encyclopedia on prominent modern Arab writers and poets. His other English texts include Heroes of Arabia and Stories from the Sands of Arabia. His radio program on the interpretation and linguistic wonders of the Holy Qur’an continued for 35 years.

Professor Al-Tayyeb was also a prominent academician and administrator. He was Dean of the College of Arts at Khartoum University in 1961, and subsequently Vice-Chancellor of Khartoum and Juba Universities in Sudan in 1965. After his retirement, he was appointed Professor Emeritus at Khartoum University in 1977. He also served as the President of the Arab Language Academy in Khartoum in 1990, and a member of the Arabic Language Academy in Cairo, and was a professor, a visiting professor, or an invited lecturer at several African and Arab universities and other learned institutions. Al-Tayyib’s contributions were recognized by a host of prizes, medals and honorary doctorates.

This biography was written in the year the prize was awarded.

Said Allouche received his bachelor’s degree from Mohammad V University in 1970, and a Doctorate Degree of the Third Cycle and a State Doctorate from the Sorbonne in Paris in 1982. He is currently a Professor of Comparative Literature at the College of Arts in King Mohammed V University in Rabat.

After completing his higher studies, Allouche joined Mohammed V University where he has been teaching for more than 25 years, during which he rose to the status of professor. He chaired the Department of Arabic at the College of Arts in Rabat from 1986 to 1988, and was seconded between 1992 and 1998 to teach at Sultan Qaboos University in Muscat (Oman). He also served as President of the Moroccan Society of Comparative Literature, and a member of the International Society of Comparative Literature, and the Comparative Literature Association.

This biography was written in the year the prize was awarded.