Haider Mahmoud
Encyclopedia
Haider Mahmoud is a poet
from Jordan
. He was born in Haifa
in 1942. His family fled their home in the aftermath of the 1948 Arab-Israeli war. He studied in Amman
before pursuing his higher education in the UK
and the US
.
Mahmoud worked in journalism
and the media
, he was also Jordan's Ambassador to Tunisia
, and he later held the culture
portfolio in the Jordanian government.
A poem he wrote in early April of 1989 about the social injustices facing ordinary citizens was one of the triggers of the civil unrest that took several Jordanian cities later that month. Mahmoud held the position of Advisor to the Prime Minister at the time, he was sacked and ordered to be imprisoned by Martial Law decree, but was released on the same day by direct order from King Hussein.
Mahmoud's works were published in several languages including Spanish
, Japanese
, Korean
, French
and Serbian
, and his works are taught in the Jordanian curriculum
in both the School and University levels. He was granted an honorary doctorate from the World Academy for Culture and Arts in the Republic of China
in 1986.
Mahmoud was granted several Arab and International awards and medals, including the King Abdullah II Award for Innovation in the Field of Literature
(Jordan, 2004), The Independence Medal of First Order (Jordan, 1991), Medal of the Republic of the Supreme Order (Tunisia
, 1999), Ibn-Khafaja Award for Poetry
(Spain
, 1986).
He currently writes a weekly column in the Jordanian newspaper
Addustour.
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
from Jordan
Jordan
Jordan , officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan , Al-Mamlaka al-Urduniyya al-Hashemiyya) is a kingdom on the East Bank of the River Jordan. The country borders Saudi Arabia to the east and south-east, Iraq to the north-east, Syria to the north and the West Bank and Israel to the west, sharing...
. He was born in Haifa
Haifa
Haifa is the largest city in northern Israel, and the third-largest city in the country, with a population of over 268,000. Another 300,000 people live in towns directly adjacent to the city including the cities of the Krayot, as well as, Tirat Carmel, Daliyat al-Karmel and Nesher...
in 1942. His family fled their home in the aftermath of the 1948 Arab-Israeli war. He studied in Amman
Amman
Amman is the capital of Jordan. It is the country's political, cultural and commercial centre and one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. The Greater Amman area has a population of 2,842,629 as of 2010. The population of Amman is expected to jump from 2.8 million to almost...
before pursuing his higher education in the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and the US
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Mahmoud worked in journalism
Journalism
Journalism is the practice of investigation and reporting of events, issues and trends to a broad audience in a timely fashion. Though there are many variations of journalism, the ideal is to inform the intended audience. Along with covering organizations and institutions such as government and...
and the media
Mass media
Mass media refers collectively to all media technologies which are intended to reach a large audience via mass communication. Broadcast media transmit their information electronically and comprise of television, film and radio, movies, CDs, DVDs and some other gadgets like cameras or video consoles...
, he was also Jordan's Ambassador to Tunisia
Tunisia
Tunisia , officially the Tunisian RepublicThe long name of Tunisia in other languages used in the country is: , is the northernmost country in Africa. It is a Maghreb country and is bordered by Algeria to the west, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Its area...
, and he later held the culture
Culture
Culture is a term that has many different inter-related meanings. For example, in 1952, Alfred Kroeber and Clyde Kluckhohn compiled a list of 164 definitions of "culture" in Culture: A Critical Review of Concepts and Definitions...
portfolio in the Jordanian government.
A poem he wrote in early April of 1989 about the social injustices facing ordinary citizens was one of the triggers of the civil unrest that took several Jordanian cities later that month. Mahmoud held the position of Advisor to the Prime Minister at the time, he was sacked and ordered to be imprisoned by Martial Law decree, but was released on the same day by direct order from King Hussein.
Mahmoud's works were published in several languages including Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
, Japanese
Japanese language
is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
, Korean
Korean language
Korean is the official language of the country Korea, in both South and North. It is also one of the two official languages in the Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture in People's Republic of China. There are about 78 million Korean speakers worldwide. In the 15th century, a national writing...
, 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 Serbian
Serbian language
Serbian is a form of Serbo-Croatian, a South Slavic language, spoken by Serbs in Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Croatia and neighbouring countries....
, and his works are taught in the Jordanian curriculum
Curriculum
See also Syllabus.In formal education, a curriculum is the set of courses, and their content, offered at a school or university. As an idea, curriculum stems from the Latin word for race course, referring to the course of deeds and experiences through which children grow to become mature adults...
in both the School and University levels. He was granted an honorary doctorate from the World Academy for Culture and Arts in the Republic of China
Republic of China
The Republic of China , commonly known as Taiwan , is a unitary sovereign state located in East Asia. Originally based in mainland China, the Republic of China currently governs the island of Taiwan , which forms over 99% of its current territory, as well as Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu and other minor...
in 1986.
Mahmoud was granted several Arab and International awards and medals, including the King Abdullah II Award for Innovation in the Field of Literature
Literature
Literature is the art of written works, and is not bound to published sources...
(Jordan, 2004), The Independence Medal of First Order (Jordan, 1991), Medal of the Republic of the Supreme Order (Tunisia
Tunisia
Tunisia , officially the Tunisian RepublicThe long name of Tunisia in other languages used in the country is: , is the northernmost country in Africa. It is a Maghreb country and is bordered by Algeria to the west, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Its area...
, 1999), Ibn-Khafaja Award for Poetry
Poetry
Poetry is a form of literary art in which language is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning...
(Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, 1986).
He currently writes a weekly column in the Jordanian newspaper
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
Addustour.
Published anthologies
- Yamurru Hatha Al Layl (The Night Shall Pass) 1969.
- I'tithar An Khalal Fanni Tare'e (Apology for a Technical Fault) 1979.
- Shajar Addufla Ala Al Nahr Yughanni (The Oleander Sings by the River) 1981.
- Min Akwal Al Shahed Al Akheer (From the Words of The Last Witness) 1986.
- The Complete Works, (Vol I) 1990.
- Al Nar Allati La Tushbih Al Nar (The Fire Which is not Like Fire) 1999.
- The Complete Works (Vol II) 2001.
- Aba'at Al Farah Al Akhdar (The Shawls of Green Joy) 2006.
- Fil Bid'e Kan Al Nahr (In The Beginning There was the River) 2007.
External links
- حيدر محمود
- Al Jazeera Interview, August 2009
- Biography
- Jordan Ministry of Culture Link in Arabic.
- Al Jazeera Interview, 2004 Link in Arabic.