Jabbour Douaihy

Jabbour Douaihy
Born1949 (1949)
Zgharta, Lebanon
Died23 June 2021(2021-06-23) (aged 71–72)
Alma materNew Sorbonne University
Notable works

Jabbour Douaihy (Arabic: جبور الدويهي; 1949 – 23 June 2021) was a critically-acclaimed Lebanese writer, translator, and professor of literature.[1] His novels were nominated four times for the International Prize for Arabic Fiction, and he has also published translations, short story collections, and children's books. His work, mostly originally in Arabic, has been translated several languages, including English and French.

Life and education

Douaihy was born in Zgharta, Lebanon in 1949 and was a member of the city's prominent El Douaihy family.

He obtained a PhD in comparative literature from the New Sorbonne University and served a professor of French literature at the Lebanese University of Tripoli.[2][3]

He was also known for mentoring younger writers, such as through the International Prize for Arabic Fiction Nadwa.[4]

Critical reception

Academic and translator Paula Haydar describes Jabbour as "a master of detail" in his writing.[5]

Douaihy was nominated four times for the International Prize for Arabic Fiction, the most prestigious literary award in the Arab region. He was shortlisted three times and longlisted once. He is one of only five authors to have received such repeated recognition by this award.[4] His 2008 novel June Rain was nominated for the Arabic Booker Prize and has been translated into several languages.[6] His last novel, The King of India, was shortlisted for the Arabic Booker Prize in 2020. The Vagrant and The American Neighborhood were also nominated for the Arabic Booker. The Vagrant was also awarded Institut du Monde Arabe's 2013 annual award for the best Arabic novel translated into French.[4]

His work has also received awards and award nominations in translation. Autumn Equinox (2001) was the first of Douaihy's novels to be translated into English, by Nay Youssef Hannawi, and it won the Arkansas Arabic Translation Award.[7] Paula Haydar's translation of June Rain was runner-up for the Banipal Prize for Arabic Literary Translation in 2014.[5] He has also been translated into French by Stephanie Dujols.[8]

A book-length critical analysis of his work was published in 2021 under the title Jabbour Douaihy: Novelist of Lebanese Life."[9][10][11]

Select works

Novels

Sources:[8][12]

  • Poison in the Air (2021)
  • The King of India (Lebanon: Dar Al Saqi, 2019)
  • Printed in Beirut (2016)
  • Rayya of the River (2015)
  • The American Neighborhood (Lebanon, 2014)
  • The Vagrant or Chased Away (Lebanon, 2012)
  • June Rain (Beirut, Lebanon: Dar An Nahar, 2006)
  • Night of the Calligraphers (2006)
  • Rose Fountain (2002)
  • Autumn Equinox (1995)
  • The Soul of the Forest
Novels available in English Translation
  • Autumn Equinox, translated by Nay Youssef Hannawi and published by University of Arkansas Press[13]
  • June Rain, translated by Paula Haydar
  • The American Quarter, translated by Paula Haydar, published by Interlink Books[5]
  • Printed In Beirut, translated by Paula Haydar, published by Interlink Books, 2018[14]

Short story collections

  • Dying Between Relatives is Sleeping (2010)

Translations into Arabic by Jabbour Douaihy

Source:[8]

Book chapters

  • "St. Jerome as the representation of melancholy." In Reflections on Islamic Art, ed. by Ahdaf Soueif. Doha, Qatar: Muslim of Islamic Art, 2011.[15][16]

Death

On 23 July 2021 Douaihy died after a long illness.[17]

References

  1. ^ "الروائي الدكتور جبور الشيخا الدويهي في ذمة الله". Lebanon24 (in Arabic). Retrieved 23 July 2021.
  2. ^ "Interview with NOW Lebanon". Archived from the original on 2 September 2012. Retrieved 13 July 2011.
  3. ^ "Jabbour Douaihy". Words Without Borders. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
  4. ^ a b c "Jabbour Douaihy 1949 – 2021 | International Prize for Arabic Fiction". www.arabicfiction.org. 29 July 2021. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
  5. ^ a b c "Paula Haydar on the Tightrope of Translating Award-winning Novelist Jabbour Douaihy". ARABLIT & ARABLIT QUARTERLY. 27 July 2017. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
  6. ^ Author profile on the IPAF website Archived 28 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine
  7. ^ "Translation of Arabic Literature Award | University of Arkansas". fulbright.uark.edu. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
  8. ^ a b c Sfeir, Almaza. "LibGuides: Jabbour Douaihy 1949–2021: Books by Douaihy". libguides.usek.edu.lb. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
  9. ^ "صدور كتاب: جبُّور الدُّويهي، روائيُّ الحياة اللبنانيَّة". ua.edu.lb. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
  10. ^ "جبّور الدّويهي 'روائيّ الحياة اللبنانيّة'... حوار وتحيّة من 'الأنطونيّة'". annahar.com. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
  11. ^ "إلى جبور الدويهي الذي تقصّى مكونات اللبنانية .. تحية مصوّرة". www.innlebanon.com. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
  12. ^ "DOUAIHY Jabbour | R A Y A | agency for Arabic literature". Retrieved 29 March 2022.
  13. ^ Duwayhī, Jabbūr. (2001). Autumn equinox. Nay Hannawi. Fayetteville: University of Arkansas Press. ISBN 1-55728-707-4. OCLC 46732222.
  14. ^ Douaihy, Jabbour (2018). Printed in Beirut. Interlink Books. ISBN 978-1-62371-990-6.
  15. ^ Reflections on Islamic art. Ahdaf Soueif, Museum of Islamic Art, Qatar Foundation, Bloomsbury. Doha, Qatar. 2011. ISBN 978-99921-42-60-8. OCLC 756900105.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) CS1 maint: others (link)
  16. ^ Soueif, Ahdaf (22 May 2012). Reflections (English ed.). Bloomsbury USA. ISBN 978-99921-42-80-6.
  17. ^ Mlynxqualey (25 July 2021). "Celebrating Author Jabbour Douaihy (1949-2021) and Publisher Fares Sassine (1947-2021)". Arablit & Arablit Quarterly. Retrieved 22 June 2022.