Jabra Ibrahim Jabra facts for kids

Jabra Ibrahim Jabra (born August 28, 1919 – died December 12, 1994) was an important writer, artist, and thinker from Palestine and Iraq. He was born in Adana, a city that was then under French control. His family, who were Syriac Orthodox Christians, survived a terrible event called the Seyfo Genocide. They moved to Palestine in the early 1920s.

Jabra went to schools in Bethlehem and Jerusalem under British rule. He later won a scholarship to study at the University of Cambridge in England. After events in 1948, Jabra moved to Baghdad, Iraq. There, he became a teacher at the University of Baghdad. He also received a special fellowship to study English literature at Harvard University in the United States. Jabra wrote many novels, short stories, poems, and critical essays. He also translated many books from English and French into Arabic. He was a talented painter and helped start the Hurufiyya movement. This movement blended traditional Islamic art with modern art by using Arabic letters in decorative ways.

Early Life and Education

Jabra Ibrahim Jabra was born in 1919 in Adana. His parents were Ibrahim Yahrin and Maryam. His mother's first husband and twin brother had died in an event in 1909. After his mother remarried, his father, Ibrahim, joined the army during World War I.

Jabra's family survived the Assyrian genocide. They left Adana and moved to Bethlehem in the early 1920s.

Schooling in Palestine

In Bethlehem, Jabra attended the National School. His family moved to Jerusalem in 1932. He then went to the Rashidiya School. In 1937, he graduated from the Government Arab College.

Jabra earned a scholarship to study English at the University College of the South West in Exeter, England, from 1939 to 1940. He stayed in England to continue his studies at the University of Cambridge. This was because it was dangerous to return to Palestine by boat during World War II. At Cambridge, he studied English and earned his first degree in 1943 from Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge.

Return to Jerusalem and Move to Baghdad

In 1943, Jabra returned to Jerusalem. He started teaching English at the Rashidiyya College, as required by his scholarship. He also wrote articles for local Arabic newspapers in Jerusalem.

In January 1948, Jabra and his family left their home in Jerusalem. They moved to Baghdad. Jabra traveled to Amman, Beirut, and Damascus looking for work. In Damascus, he got a visa to teach at the Teachers' Training College in Iraq for one year. He received his master's degree from Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge, in 1948. This degree did not require him to live in England or take more classes.

In 1952, Jabra became a Sunni Muslim to marry Lami'a Barqi al-'Askari. In the same year, he received a special fellowship to study English literature at Harvard University. He studied at Harvard from late 1952 to early 1954. While there, he translated his first novel, Cry in a Long Night, into Arabic. He also started writing his second novel, Hunters in a Narrow Street.

Life and Work in Baghdad

After returning to Baghdad, Jabra worked in public relations for the Iraq Petroleum Company. He then worked for the Iraqi Ministry of Culture and Information. He taught at different colleges in Baghdad and became an English professor at the University of Baghdad.

Jabra became an Iraqi citizen. He was one of the first Palestinian writers to share his experiences of living in exile. His home in Baghdad was a popular meeting place for Iraqi thinkers and artists.

Artistic Contributions and Movements

Jabra was very interested in modern art and Arab society. In the 1950s, he helped start the Modern Baghdad Art Group. This group was made up of artists and thinkers. They wanted to mix Iraq's rich artistic history with modern abstract art styles. The group included poets, historians, architects, and administrators. Jabra was very dedicated to the group's founder, Jawad Saleem. He found inspiration in Arab stories, literature, and Islam.

Jabra continued his involvement in the art world. In 1971, he became a founding member of the One Dimension Group. This group was started by the famous Baghdad artist, Shakir Hassan Al Said. The group wanted to combine tradition and modern ideas. They also wanted to create a new style of art that was not just like European art. This movement was part of a bigger trend among Arab artists. They wanted to create art that showed their own national and Arab identity. This movement later became known as the Hurufiyya movement.

Later Years and Legacy

Jabra passed away in 1994. After his death, a relative moved into his Baghdad home. However, the house was destroyed in 2010 when a car bomb exploded nearby. Many of Jabra's letters, personal items, and paintings were lost in this event.

Jabra's Works

Jabra was a very talented writer and artist. He was a poet, novelist, painter, translator, and literary critic.

Translations and Writings

He translated many important English books into Arabic. These included major plays by William Shakespeare. He also translated parts of The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner. Some of his translations included parts of The Golden Bough by Sir James Frazer and works by T. S. Eliot.

Jabra's own writings have been translated into more than twelve languages. These include English, French, and Hebrew. He also contributed to the poetry magazine Shi'r in Beirut.

Paintings

It is hard to find Jabra's paintings today. However, some of his notable works are in private collections.

• The Window (al-Nafidhah, 1951)
• Woman and Child (Imra'ah wa-tiflu-ha, early 1950s)
• The Brass-Seller (al-Safdar, 1955)

See also

In Spanish: Yabra Ibrahím Yabra para niños

• Arabic novel
• Arabic art
• Hurufiyya movement
• Islamic art
• Iraqi art
• Islamic calligraphy
• List of Iraqi artists