Hani al-Rahib facts for kids

Hani Muhammad-Ali al-Rahib (born November 30, 1939 – died February 6, 2000) was a famous Syrian writer and university professor. He wrote many important novels. His first novel, The Defeated, came out in 1961 when he was just 22 years old. That same year, he won a literature award from Al-Adab magazine.

Some of his other well-known novels include A Crack in a Long History (1970) and A Thousand and Two Nights (1977). In the early 1980s, he wrote The Epidemic. Some experts even picked The Epidemic as one of the top 100 most important Arab novels of the 20th century.

About Hani al-Rahib

His Life Story

Hani Muhammad-Ali al-Rahib was born in a small village called Mashqita in Latakia Governorate, Syria. His family was poor and worked in farming. In 1957, he earned a scholarship to study English language and literature at Damascus University. Later, he received another scholarship to get his master's degree from the American University of Beirut.

He continued his studies in the United Kingdom, where he earned a special degree called a doctorate in English literature from the University of Exeter. After finishing his studies, he became a professor at Damascus University.

Hani al-Rahib's writings and ideas sometimes caused problems. He was removed from the Arab Writers Union in 1969. He also decided to leave the Syrian Baath party in 1970. Because of these issues, he had to leave Damascus. He moved to Kuwait and taught at Kuwait University for some time. He returned to Damascus in 1998 and sadly passed away at age 60 due to an illness.

Besides writing novels, Hani al-Rahib was also known for his literary criticism. This means he wrote about and analyzed other people's books. He published his non-fiction works in different Arabic magazines. He also translated many books from English into Arabic.

His father, Shaykh Muhammad Ali, could not hear or speak, but he was very good at communicating with gestures. He could also read and write. His father worked as a tailor. Hani's mother, Nuzha, could not read or write. Hani grew up in poverty and spent a lot of time in nature. Sadly, five of his sisters died by 1945. His father passed away in 1950, and his mother in 1955. He went to the city of Lattakia for his high school studies.

In 1973, he became a teacher and then an assistant professor in the English Department at Damascus University. He got married for the first time in 1966, but they divorced after ten years. He married again in 1977 and had a happy marriage. The actress Waha Al-Raheb is his niece, the daughter of his brother Helal al-Raheb, who was a diplomat.

His Writing Career

Hani al-Rahib's early novels, like Al-Mahzūmūn (1961) and Sharkh fi tarikh tawil (1970), explored ideas about human existence. Some of his novels tried out new ways of telling stories. For example, his 1977 novel Sharkh fi tarikh tawil and Alf layla wa-laylatān were influenced by a French writing style called the "French New Wave." These novels also talked about important political issues. In Alf layla wa-laylatān, he wrote about the sadness and disappointment after the Six-Day War.

He was removed from the Arab Writers Union in 1969. He was also moved from his teaching job at Damascus University to a high school. In 1995, he was forced out of the Arab Writers Union a second time. This happened because some people claimed he wanted to make peace with Israel.

Hani al-Rahib wrote his last novel, I Have Drawn a Line on the Sand, in 1999. This was after Kuwait University, where he was teaching, decided not to renew his contract. This happened because of an article he wrote about Salman Rushdie's novel The Satanic Verses. In his article, Hani al-Rahib spoke up for writers' freedom to express their ideas. His last novel caused some strong reactions among writers in Kuwait. He returned to Damascus in the summer of 1998.

He also wrote many articles for newspapers and magazines. He translated many literary works, articles, and studies from English to Arabic. Many discussions and studies have been done about his works, both in Syria and other countries.

Awards and Recognition

• Al Adab Magazine Prize for his novel The Defeated in 1961.
• Arab Writers Union Award for his novel The Epidemic in 1981.

Hani as a Novelist

Hani Al-Rahib is seen as a writer who helped change and improve the Syrian novel. He worked hard to develop new ways of writing and using language in novels. He believed that novels should have a fresh way of using language. His writing style had a special impact on Arabic novels, influencing both their structure and their meaning. He played a big part in how modern Arab novels developed.

One Thousand and Two Nights

In this novel, Hani al-Rahib tells the story of 30 people. They think they are alone until a big defeat happens in June. Then, they realize they are just a small part of a defeated society. The novel's structure shows how this society is put together. Hani said about the novel, "I felt confident enough to present the wreckage of a novel. I owe somewhat to the structure of A Thousand and One Nights, which tells a thousand tales."

The Hills

This novel was published in 1989. In The Hills, the writer uses meanings instead of direct conversations. It talks about two different worlds. One world is full of myths, dreams, and desires that come from a struggling society. The other world is about real history. The story takes place in different times, like World War I and II, and the year 1946. It also explores the characters' thoughts and feelings. There's also a mythical time, and what Al-Rahib called "the timeline of no time." This novel is about the experience of progress in the modern history of the Arab world. He used names of people and places that have special meaning from the region's history.

His Thoughts on the Nobel Prize

When asked about the Nobel Prize, Hani al-Rahib said he wasn't a candidate for it. He felt that only two of his eight novels were truly great, and the others were just okay. He also had two collections of short stories. He believed that the Nobel Prize, apart from the money, was not always fair. He thought politics often influenced the prize, rather than just cultural reasons. He also felt it promoted ideas that didn't fit with his pride in Arab heritage and civilization. He was very interested in and studied Zionist literature deeply, and this was a big part of his thoughts and life.