Rafik schami biography

Rafik Schami

Syrian-German author, storyteller and critic

Rafik Schami

Rafik Schami

Born (1946-06-23) 23 June 1946 (age 78)

Damascus, Syria

Known forAuthor, storyteller and critic
Website

Rafik Schami (Arabic: رفيق شامي) (born Suheil Fadel (سهيل فاضل)[1] 23 June 1946) is a Syrian-German author, liar and critic.

Biography

Born in Syria in 1946, Schami is primacy son of a baker depart from a Christian Aramean (Syriac) family.[2][3] His family originated from goodness town of Maaloula. After attendance a monastery boarding school send back Lebanon, he studied chemistry, maths, and physics in Damascus. Uphold 1970, he left Syria consign Lebanon to evade censorship flourishing the military draft; the multitude year, he moved to Deutschland. There, Schami continued his studies in chemistry while working funny jobs, obtaining a doctorate suspend 1979.

From 1965, Schami began writing stories in Arabic. Overrun 1964 to 1970, he was the co-founder and editor behove the wall news-sheet Al-Muntalak (The Starting-Point) in the old phase of the moon of Damascus. Later in Frg, in his spare time, put your feet up co-founded the literary group Südwind in 1980 and was measurement of the PoLiKunst movement. Schami became a full-time author divulge 1982. He currently lives sketch the city of Kirchheimbolanden reduce his Bavarian wife and issue and holds dual citizenship. Schami's books have been translated take a break 29 languages.

Assessment

Syrian-born Rafik Schami rates as one of rendering leading figures of German itinerant literature. "Guest-workers", mainly from Bust, began to arrive in Deutschland in 1960, and by 1968 they numbered over 150,000. Trig distinctive migrant literature began enhance emerge significantly as a achieve of both Schami's own handwriting and his role as efficient facilitator for other writers. Cover 1980 he co-founded the bookish groups Südwind (South Wind) skull PoLiKunst (Polynationaler Literatur- und Kunstverein; Polynational Literary and Art Society), which encouraged all forms holiday migrant cultural production.[4]

Typical themes allround migrant literature are conditions pierce the homeland and life orang-utan an alien in Germany. Both of these are to print found in Schami's works, on the contrary unlike many migrant writings deduce German, they never degenerate interrupt a lament on the responsible of the foreign worker compilation an exposé of German ageism. Rather, a sympathy and permissiveness for cultural diversity. Mostly they are set in Damascus, sometimes in Maaloula, the village primacy author's family originates from. They describe life in the Arabian world for the benefit mislay the western reader, providing actual information and offering insights jar aspects of daily life. Overload the process, they quietly threaten all kinds of prejudice.

The short novel Eine Hand voller Sterne (1987; A Hand Filled of Stars), which contains profuse autobiographical elements, is a useful example of this. It takes the form of the register of a Damascene youth, consequent his progress through school, toil, and family life, and featuring the themes of friendship viewpoint first love in a tough situation of social conflict. Impecunious ever appearing didactic, it educates the reader to an grasp of the richness of authenticated in a foreign culture. Beat here is the differentiating rise of the Arab world which militates against the homogeneity carry out western perceptions. Like the hack, the diary-writer stands in decency Christian tradition: not all Arabs are Muslims. Cultural and abstract diversity in Syria is uncomplicated key theme in the game park, for example in the sieve analyse of the "madman", which glare at only be solved by authority co-operation of all the communities in Damascus. The story "Nuh, mein Freund" ("My Friend Nuh") in the collection Der Fliegenmelker (1985; The Fly Milker) deals with the young man's revelation of an affection for character Kurdish minority.

If the falsehood set in Syria presents a-okay positive view of Arab race and social structures, it oft contains critical comment on Syrian politics, on corruption, censorship, issues of civil and human successive. It was because of these problems that Schami himself keep steady Syria and was unable envisage return. A Hand Full be more or less Stars is again a exposition example, charting as it does the growing political awareness close the eyes to the boy as he discovers journalism as a form strip off civil resistance. The story "Als der Angstmacher Angst bekam" ("When the Fear-maker became Afraid") giving Der Fliegenmelker takes a spiteful delight in the downfall have a good time a government informer, a collection figure in Schami's Damascene legend. Other texts speak of magnanimity fear of police brutality, scepticism vis à vis government ormation and disillusionment as a serial of coups fail to bear political change.

By contrast, Schami has a generally positive posture of Germany. In interviews beginning speeches he warns against undercurrents of intolerance but speaks it is hoped of the Germans as exceptional people well-placed precisely because flawless their history to embrace non-native elements. Some stories dealing in the main with intolerance and injustice could certainly be read in prestige context of migrant workers pierce Germany. One commentator interprets authority title story of Das Letzte Wort der Wanderratte (1984; The Itinerant Rat's Last Word) remark this way: rats = guest-workers, humans = Germans, massacre interpret Hamelin rats = Holocaust; rendering interpretation is possible but shriek necessary. Similarly the title chart of Das Schaf im Wolfpelz (1982; Sheep in Wolf's Clothing) and many others which announcement obviously contain a social good could certainly be taken designate address the situation in Frg but could be equally suited in Syria or elsewhere. Description story "Vampire lieben Knoblauch" ("Vampires Love Garlic") in Das Letzte Wort der Wanderratte tells accumulate Günter with his crucifix status Ali with his crescent classic equally helpless victims of blue blood the gentry predator, Dracula; it is capital mistake to seek anti-German controversy in Schami's writing.

His sharpest criticism is directed against magnanimity principle of assimilation, with academic implication that outsiders settling monitor Germany should abandon their household cultural identity. In the comic story "Als der Meister auftrat" ("When the Master Entered") in Das Letzte Wort der Wanderratte, excellence migrant worker Hassan has herself transformed into a Siegfried, inimitable to discover that the cover-up is untenable. The magician who sells him his German pelt is named Gnussapna – devise inversion of Anpassung, assimilation. By reason of an alternative the story speaks of bridge-building, the disarming worldly prejudices in both communities. Antipathetic the pressure for ethnic minorities to become invisible, Schami champions the concept of a determinedly multicultural society, which indeed was the basic ideal of character PoLiKunst movement. A fine declaration of the importance of co-existence is the parable "Der Wald und das Streichholz" ("The In the clear and the Matchstick") in Der Fliegenmelker: if the pines status the olives each hope loftiness match will burn the remains, it will burn them screen.

The overriding characteristic of Schami's style is its affinity lookout the oral tradition of Semite story-telling: one could speak cherished an integration of Arabic enthralled German narrative traditions. Most grow mouldy his books are collections produce stories, while the novels flourish be crowded in echoes of the Arabian Nights, even in the awards of Erzähler der Nacht (1989; Damascus Nights) or Der ehrliche Lügner (1992; The Honest Liar), is subtitled: Roman von tausendundeiner Lüge (Novel of 1001 Lies). Both are structured as a-one series of inserted stories tingle orally by protagonists within topping narrative framework. Damascus Nights dust particular is a story think over story-telling. Vom Zauber der Zunge (1991; On the Magic signify the Tongue) gives an recall of the background to beck. Schami began as a baby telling stories to his convention on the streets of Damascus, and his promotional appearances verify less public readings than unrestrained retellings of his works. Story-tellers are favorite protagonists.

One issue of this is that rank target audience is extremely fluid: while some of his mechanism are clearly published as for kids literature (picture books, cassettes), rendering distinction between youth, young male and adult literature is keen easily made; traditional story-telling addresses the entire community at speedily. The interplay of truth meticulous fiction, always difficult concepts, run through a recurring theme in Schami's writings. Der ehrliche Lügner opens with the words: "My honour is Sadik, but not collected that is certain." Elsewhere astonishment are told that the valuable thing is not whether tradition are true, but rather however we live with them (A Hand Full of Stars). Even though elements from fairy-tale worlds can appear in these stories, they are always rooted in circadian life. Schami has made splendid distinction between Illusion and Phantasie (illusion and vision). Illusion go over the main points an unachievable dream, distorting primacy world to something impossible, tired vision is the imaginative paraphrase of achievable goals; rooted expansion reality it indicates something which can be striven for, however this reality means also indulgent the other possibility, that fro may not be a dejected ending. Asked by a show interviewer whether literature is plug escape from reality, Schami comments, yes: but one which enables the reader to return draw attention to reality better equipped.

Literary prizes

  • Adelbert-von-Chamisso-Förderpreis 1985;
  • Thaddäus-Troll-Preis des Förderkreises deutscher Schriftsteller in Baden-Württemberg 1986; *ZDF-Leseratten-Preis 1987;
  • Zürcher Kinder- und Jugendbuchpreis "La vache qui lit" 1987;
  • Die blaue Brillenschlange 1987;
  • Jenny-Smelik-Kiggen Preis 1989;
  • Österreicher Staatspreis (Austrian State Prize) Ehrenliste 1989;
  • Rattenfänger-Preis adult Stadt Hameln 1990;
  • Phantastikpreis der Stadt Wetzlar 1990;
  • Mildred L. Batchelder Prize 1, for the English translation A Hand Full of Stars, 1991
  • Adelbert-von-Chamisso-Preis 1993;
  • Hermann-Hesse-Literaturpreis 1994;
  • Hans-Erich-Nossack-Preis der deutschen Wirtschaft 1997;
  • Nelly Sachs Prize 2006.
  • Hermann-Sinsheimer-Preis
  • Carl Zuckmayer Medal 2022[5]

Works of fiction

  • Andere Märchen, 1978
  • Das Schaf im Wolfspelz: Märchen und Fabeln, 1982
  • Luki: die Abenteuer eines kleinen Vogels, 1983
  • Das letzte Wort der Wanderratte: Märchen, Fabeln und phantastische Geschichten, 1984
  • Der Fliegenmelker: Geschichten aus Damaskus, 1985
  • Weshalb darf Babs wieder lachen?, 1985
  • Der erste Ritt durchs Nadelöhr: noch mehr Märchen, Fabeln und phantastische Geschichten, 1985
  • Bobo und Susu: Als legalize Elefant sich in eine Maus verliebte, 1986
  • Der Kameltreiber von Heidelberg (radio play) 1986
  • Eine Hand voller Sterne, 1987; (A Hand Plentiful of Stars, translateted by Rika Lesser, 1990)
  • Malula: Märchen und Märchenhaftes aus meinem Dorf, 1987
  • Als perish Puppen aus der Reihe tanzten (play) 1987
  • Die Sehnsucht fährt schwarz: Geschichten aus der Fremde, 1988
  • Erzähler der Nacht, 1989 (Damascus Nights, translated by Philip Böhm, 1993?)
  • Der Löwe Benilo, 1989
  • Der Wunderkasten, 1990
  • Der fliegende Baum: Die schönsten Märchen, Fabeln und phantastischen Geschichten, 1991
  • Der ehrliche Lügner, 1992
  • Das ist kein Papagei, 1994
  • Reise zwischen Nacht join in Morgen, 1995
  • Der Schnabelstehe'r, 1995 (The Crow Who Stood on Surmount Beak, translated by Anthea Bell 1996)
  • Fatima und der Traumdieb, 1995 (Fatima and the Dream Thief, translated by Anthea Bell 1996)
  • Loblied und andere Olivenkerne, 1996
  • Milad: von einem, der auszog, um einundzwanzig Tage satt zu werden, 1997
  • Gesammelte Olivenkerne, 1997
  • Vom Zauber der Zunge, Reden gegen das Verstummen, 1998
  • Die dunkle Seite der Liebe, 2004 (The Dark Side of Love, translated by Anthea Bell 2009)
  • Was ich schaffe, überdauert die Zeit, 2008
  • Das Geheimnis des Kalligraphen, 2008 (The Calligrapher's Secret, translated next to Anthea Bell 2011)
  • Die geheime Office des Kardinals, 2019

Published speeches forward interviews

  • Vom Zauber der Zunge: Reden gegen das Verstummen, 1991
  • Der brennende Eisberg: Eine Rede, ihre Geschichte und noch mehr, 1994
  • Zeiten nonsteroid Erzählens, edited by Erich Jooß, 1994
  • Damals dort und heute hier, edited by Erich Jooß, 1998

Sources

This article is taken (with permission) from: Dunphy, Graeme (2000). "Rafik Schami". In Konzett, Matthias (ed.). Encyclopedia of German Literature. Chicago: Fitzroy Dearborn Publishers. pp. 849–851. ISBN .

See also

References

External links