Amin Maalouf
Encyclopedia
Amin Maalouf born 25 February 1949 in Beirut
, is a Lebanese-born French author. Although his native language is Arabic, he writes in French
, and his works have been translated into many languages. He received the Prix Goncourt
in 1993 for his novel The Rock of Tanios
(English translation of, Le Rocher de Tanios). He has also been awarded the Prince of Asturias Award for Literature in its 2010 edition.
He was elected at the Académie française
on 23 June 2011, on seat 29.
in 1945, where Odette, his mother, was born of a Maronite Christian father from the village, who had left to work in Egypt, and a mother born in Turkey
. Amin's father, Ruchdi, was from the Melkite Greek Catholic
community. One of his ancestors was a priest whose son converted to become a Presbyterian parson. The parson's son (Maalouf's grandfather) was a "rationalist, anticlerical, probably a freemason, and refused to baptise his children". While the Protestant branch of the family sent their children to British or American schools, Maalouf's mother was a staunch Catholic who insisted on sending him to Collège Notre Dame de Jamhour
- a French Jesuit school. He studied sociology at the Francophone Saint-Joseph University in Beirut.
He worked as the director of the Beirut-based daily newspaper An-Nahar
until the start of the Lebanese civil war
in 1975, when he moved to Paris, which became his permanent home.
In 2010 he received the Prince of Asturias Award laureate for Letters for his work, an intense mix of suggestive language, historic affairs in a Mediterranean mosaic of languages, cultures and religions and stories of tolerance and reconciliation.
Beirut
Beirut is the capital and largest city of Lebanon, with a population ranging from 1 million to more than 2 million . Located on a peninsula at the midpoint of Lebanon's Mediterranean coastline, it serves as the country's largest and main seaport, and also forms the Beirut Metropolitan...
, is a Lebanese-born French author. Although his native language is Arabic, he writes in French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
, and his works have been translated into many languages. He received the Prix Goncourt
Prix Goncourt
The Prix Goncourt is a prize in French literature, given by the académie Goncourt to the author of "the best and most imaginative prose work of the year"...
in 1993 for his novel The Rock of Tanios
The Rock of Tanios
The Rock of Tanios is a 1993 novel by the French-Lebanese writer Amin Maalouf. It received the Prix Goncourt....
(English translation of, Le Rocher de Tanios). He has also been awarded the Prince of Asturias Award for Literature in its 2010 edition.
He was elected at the Académie française
Académie française
L'Académie française , also called the French Academy, is the pre-eminent French learned body on matters pertaining to the French language. The Académie was officially established in 1635 by Cardinal Richelieu, the chief minister to King Louis XIII. Suppressed in 1793 during the French Revolution,...
on 23 June 2011, on seat 29.
Biography
Maalouf is the second of four children. His parents' families were from the Lebanese mountain village of Ain el Kabou. His parents married in CairoCairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
in 1945, where Odette, his mother, was born of a Maronite Christian father from the village, who had left to work in Egypt, and a mother born in Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
. Amin's father, Ruchdi, was from the Melkite Greek Catholic
Melkite Greek Catholic Church
The Melkite Greek Catholic Church is an Eastern Catholic Church in full communion with the Holy See as part of the worldwide Catholic Church. The Melkites, Byzantine Rite Catholics of mixed Eastern Mediterranean and Greek origin, trace their history to the early Christians of Antioch, Syria, of...
community. One of his ancestors was a priest whose son converted to become a Presbyterian parson. The parson's son (Maalouf's grandfather) was a "rationalist, anticlerical, probably a freemason, and refused to baptise his children". While the Protestant branch of the family sent their children to British or American schools, Maalouf's mother was a staunch Catholic who insisted on sending him to Collège Notre Dame de Jamhour
College Notre Dame de Jamhour
Collège Notre-Dame de Jamhour is a private French-language, Jesuit catholic educational institution set in Jamhour . Its campus is set in a pine forest, and includes Petit Collège, Grand collège, a church, and a recently built sports complex...
- a French Jesuit school. He studied sociology at the Francophone Saint-Joseph University in Beirut.
He worked as the director of the Beirut-based daily newspaper An-Nahar
An-Nahar
An-Nahar , is the leading Arabic-language daily newspaper in Lebanon.It was first published on August 4, 1933 as a four-page, hand-set paper. The paper provided a platform for various free thinkers to express their views during the years of the Syria occupation of Lebanon. The paper can be best...
until the start of the Lebanese civil war
Lebanese Civil War
The Lebanese Civil War was a multifaceted civil war in Lebanon. The war lasted from 1975 to 1990 and resulted in an estimated 150,000 to 230,000 civilian fatalities. Another one million people were wounded, and today approximately 350,000 people remain displaced. There was also a mass exodus of...
in 1975, when he moved to Paris, which became his permanent home.
In 2010 he received the Prince of Asturias Award laureate for Letters for his work, an intense mix of suggestive language, historic affairs in a Mediterranean mosaic of languages, cultures and religions and stories of tolerance and reconciliation.
Works of fiction
Maalouf's novels are marked by his experiences of civil war and migration. Their characters are itinerant voyagers between lands, languages, and religions.- Leo AfricanusLeo Africanus (novel)Leo Africanus is a 1986 novel written in french by Amin Maalouf, depicting the life of a historical Renaissance-era traveler, Leo Africanus...
ISBN 1-56131-022-0 - SamarkandSamarkand (novel)Samarkand is a 1988 historical novel by the French-Lebanese writer Amin Maalouf. The story is set in Central Asia in the 11th century, and revolves around the mystic and poet Omar Khayyám, and a love affair he has with a female poet at he court of Samarkand...
ISBN 1-56656-293-7 - The First Century after Beatrice ISBN 0-7043-7051-4
- The Rock of TaniosThe Rock of TaniosThe Rock of Tanios is a 1993 novel by the French-Lebanese writer Amin Maalouf. It received the Prix Goncourt....
(Prix GoncourtPrix GoncourtThe Prix Goncourt is a prize in French literature, given by the académie Goncourt to the author of "the best and most imaginative prose work of the year"...
1993) ISBN 0-8076-1365-7 - The Gardens of Light ISBN 1-56656-248-1
- Ports of Call (first published 1996 titled 'Les échelles du Levant') ISBN 1-86046-890-X
- Balthasar's OdysseyBalthasar's OdysseyBalthasar's Odyssey is a 2000 novel by Amin Maalouf set in 17th century Europe and Levant . Originally written in French, it was shortlisted for the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award in 2004....
ISBN 1-55970-702-X
Opera librettos
- L’amour de loin (Love from Afar), composerComposerA composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
Kaija SaariahoKaija SaariahoKaija Saariaho is a Finnish composer.Kaija Saariaho studied composition in Helsinki, Freiburg and Paris, where she has lived since 1982. Her studies and research at IRCAM have had a major influence on her music and her characteristically luxuriant and mysterious textures are often created by...
, 2000 - Adriana MaterAdriana MaterAdriana Mater is the second opera by the Finnish composer Kaija Saariaho, with a libretto in French by her frequent collaborator, Amin Maalouf. The National Opera of Paris and the Finnish National Opera jointly commissioned the opera. It received its world premiere at the Opéra Bastille on 3 April...
, composer Kaija Saariaho 2003 - La Passion de SimoneLa Passion de SimoneLa Passion de Simone is an oratorio composed by Kaija Saariaho to a libretto in French by Amin Maalouf with staging by Peter Sellars. The work, subtitled "a musical journey in 15 stations", centers on the life and writings of Simone Weil and was conceived in the Passion Play tradition with episodes...
, oratorio, composer Kaija Saariaho 2006 - Émilie (opera)Émilie (opera)Émilie is an opera by Finnish composer Kaija Saariaho, to a libretto by Amin Maalouf, written in 2008. It premiered at the Opéra de Lyon on 1 March 2010 with Finnish soprano, Karita Mattila, in the title role, to whom the work is dedicated. The opera is based on the life and writings of Marquise...
, composer Kaija Saariaho 2010
Works of non-fiction
- The Crusades Through Arab EyesThe Crusades Through Arab EyesThe Crusades Through Arab Eyes is a French-language historical essay by Lebanese author Amin Maalouf.As the name suggests, the book is a narrative retelling of primary sources drawn from various Arab chronicles that seeks to provide an Arab perspective on the Crusades, and especially about the...
(English translation of Les Croisades vues par les Arabes), 1986. ISBN 0-8052-0898-4 - In the Name of Identity: Violence and the Need to BelongIn the Name of Identity: Violence and the Need to BelongIn the Name of Identity: Violence and the Need to Belong is a book by Amin Maalouf....
(English translation of Les Identités meurtrières, 1998; translated by Barbara BrayBarbara BrayBarbara Bray was a British translator and critic.An identical twin , she was educated at Girton College, Cambridge, where she read English, with papers in French and Italian...
, 2000. ISBN 0-14-200257-7 - Origins: A Memoir (FSG, 2008)http://us.macmillan.com/origins 1st edition 2004 winner of the Prix MediterraneePrix MéditerranéeThe Prix Méditerranée is a French literary award. It was created in 1984 in Perpignan by the Mediterranean Centre of Literature in order to promote cultural interaction among the numerous countries surrounding the Mediterranean Sea...
2004¨ - Le Dérèglement du monde : Quand nos civilisations s’épuisent, Grasset, 2009 (ISBN 978-2-246-68151-9)