Hartmut Fähndrich
Encyclopedia
Hartmut Fähndrich is a German scholar and translator, specialising in translation of Arabic literature
into German. He was born in Tübingen
and studied at the universities of Tübingen, Münster
, and UCLA. He obtained an MA in comparative literature
and a PhD in Islamic studies from UCLA. In 1972, he moved to Switzerland where he has lived ever since. He has taught at the University of Berne
and the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology
in Zürich
.
Fähndrich is regarded as the pre-eminent German translator of Arabic literature working today. He has more than 50 book-length works to his credit and numerous other shorter works. His first translated work was Wild Thorns (German title: Der Feigenkaktus) by Sahar Khalifeh
in 1983. Since then he has translated books by many of the most important Arabic writers, from Naguib Mahfouz
to Alaa al-Aswany. A partial list of these writers is provided below; the full list can be found here (PDF).
Fähndrich has received numerous awards for his work, including several from the city of Berne
, one from the Arab League
in 2004, from Egypt's Supreme Council of Culture in 2006, and from Saudi Arabia
in 2009. He was also a member of the IPAF
jury in 2008.
Arabic literature
Arabic literature is the writing produced, both prose and poetry, by writers in the Arabic language. The Arabic word used for literature is adab which is derived from a meaning of etiquette, and implies politeness, culture and enrichment....
into German. He was born in Tübingen
Tübingen
Tübingen is a traditional university town in central Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated south of the state capital, Stuttgart, on a ridge between the Neckar and Ammer rivers.-Geography:...
and studied at the universities of Tübingen, Münster
Münster
Münster is an independent city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located in the northern part of the state and is considered to be the cultural centre of the Westphalia region. It is also capital of the local government region Münsterland...
, and UCLA. He obtained an MA in comparative literature
Comparative literature
Comparative literature is an academic field dealing with the literature of two or more different linguistic, cultural or national groups...
and a PhD in Islamic studies from UCLA. In 1972, he moved to Switzerland where he has lived ever since. He has taught at the University of Berne
University of Berne
The University of Bern is a university in the Swiss capital of Bern and was founded in 1834. It is regulated and financed by the Canton of Bern. It is a comprehensive university offering a broad choice of courses and programmes in eight faculties and some 160 institutes. The university is an...
and the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology
Swiss Federal Institute of Technology
The Swiss Federal Institute of Technology may refer to one of two institutes of higher education in Switzerland:* ETH Zurich in Zurich* École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne in Lausanne...
in Zürich
Zürich
Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...
.
Fähndrich is regarded as the pre-eminent German translator of Arabic literature working today. He has more than 50 book-length works to his credit and numerous other shorter works. His first translated work was Wild Thorns (German title: Der Feigenkaktus) by Sahar Khalifeh
Sahar Khalifeh
Sahar Khalifeh is a Palestinian writer born in 1942 in Nablus of the West Bank. After studying at the University of Birzeit, in the Palestinian occupied territories, she received a Fulbright scholarship and went to continue her studies in the US...
in 1983. Since then he has translated books by many of the most important Arabic writers, from Naguib Mahfouz
Naguib Mahfouz
Naguib Mahfouz was an Egyptian writer who won the 1988 Nobel Prize for Literature. He is regarded as one of the first contemporary writers of Arabic literature, along with Tawfiq el-Hakim, to explore themes of existentialism. He published over 50 novels, over 350 short stories, dozens of movie...
to Alaa al-Aswany. A partial list of these writers is provided below; the full list can be found here (PDF).
Fähndrich has received numerous awards for his work, including several from the city of Berne
Berne
The city of Bern or Berne is the Bundesstadt of Switzerland, and, with a population of , the fourth most populous city in Switzerland. The Bern agglomeration, which includes 43 municipalities, has a population of 349,000. The metropolitan area had a population of 660,000 in 2000...
, one from the Arab League
Arab League
The Arab League , officially called the League of Arab States , is a regional organisation of Arab states in North and Northeast Africa, and Southwest Asia . It was formed in Cairo on 22 March 1945 with six members: Egypt, Iraq, Transjordan , Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, and Syria. Yemen joined as a...
in 2004, from Egypt's Supreme Council of Culture in 2006, and from Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
in 2009. He was also a member of the IPAF
International Prize for Arabic Fiction
The International Prize for Arabic Fiction is a literary prize managed in association with the Booker Prize Foundation in London, and supported by the Emirates Foundation in Abu Dhabi. The prize is specifically for prose fiction by Arabic authors, along the lines of the Man Booker Prize...
jury in 2008.
Translated authors
- Abdel Hakim QasemAbdel Hakim QasemAbdel Hakim Qasem is considered one of the most significant authors in Egyptian literature during the past thirty years. He was born in Al Bandara village, near Tanta. During the 1950s he moved to Cairo, and began writing until the 1960s when he was imprisoned for 4 years, for his political...
- Abdelkader al-Janabi
- Abdelrahman Munif
- Alaa al-Aswany
- Azmi BisharaAzmi BisharaAzmi Bishara , a former member of the Knesset, the Israeli parliament, is a Palestinian intellectual, academic, politician, and writer.In 2007, Bishara fled Israel and resigned from the Knesset after being questioned by police on suspicion of aiding and passing information to the enemy during...
- Edwar al-KharratEdwar al-KharratEdwar al-Kharrat is an Egyptian novelist, writer and critic. He was born in Alexandria to a Coptic Christian family. He studied law at Alexandria University and worked briefly in banking and insurance. He was also actively engaged in left-wing politics and spent two years in jail from 1948–50...
- Emile Habiby
- Emily NasrallahEmily NasrallahEmily Nasrallah , née Emily Abi Rached on July 6, 1931 in Kfeir, Lebanon; is a Lebanese writer and women's rights activist. Emily showed literary talents at an early age, she took up writing and journalism while still in college a talent for which she would receive great recognition...
- Gamal al-GhitaniGamal Al-GhitaniGamal el-Ghitani, is an Egyptian author of historical and political novels and cultural and political commentaries and was the editor-in-chief of the literary periodical Akhbar Al-Adab till 2011.-Biography:...
- Ghassan KanafaniGhassan KanafaniGhassan Kanafani was a Palestinian writer and a leading member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. He was assassinated by car bomb in Beirut, allegedly by the Mossad.- Early years :Ghassan Fayiz Kanafani was born in 1936 in the then Acre , British Mandate of Palestine...
- Hamida Naana
- Hanan al-ShaykhHanan al-ShaykhHanan al-Shaykh is a Lebanese author of contemporary Arab women's literature.- Biography :Hanan al-Shaykh's family background is that of a strict Shi'a...
- Hassan DaoudHassan DaoudHassan Daoud is a Lebanese writer and journalist. Originally from the village of Noumairieh in southern Lebanon, he moved to Beirut as a child with his family. He studied Arabic literature at university. During the Lebanese civil war that broke out in 1975, he worked as a journalist, a profession...
- Hassan Nasr
- Ibrahim al-KoniIbrahim Al-KoniIbrahim Al-Koni is a Libyan writer and one of the most prolific Arabic novelists.Born in 1948 in the Fezzan Region, Ibrahim al-Koni was brought up on the tradition of the Tuareg, popularly known as "the veiled men" or "the blue men." Mythological elements, spiritual quest and existential...
- Iman Humaydan-Yunus
- Khaled Ziadeh
- Latifa al-ZayyatLatifa al-ZayyatLatifa al-Zayyat was born the 8 August 1923 in the city of Damietta in Egypt and is known as an activist and writer. She earned her Bachelors degree in English in 1946 from Cairo University and earned her PhD at the same university in 1957...
- May TelmissanyMay TelmissanyMay Telmissany is an Egyptian-Canadian author and academic. She was born in Cairo in 1965 and studied French literature at Ain Shams University. She worked for several years in the French Service of Radio Cairo and in the arts faculty at Menoufia University. She also lived for a time in Paris. In...
- Mohammad al-Bisatie
- Muhammad al-Machsangi
- Muhammad Mustagab
- Naguib MahfouzNaguib MahfouzNaguib Mahfouz was an Egyptian writer who won the 1988 Nobel Prize for Literature. He is regarded as one of the first contemporary writers of Arabic literature, along with Tawfiq el-Hakim, to explore themes of existentialism. He published over 50 novels, over 350 short stories, dozens of movie...
- Rashid al-DaifRashid Al-DaifRashid Al-Daif is a Lebanese author, writing in Arabic...
- Sahar KhalifehSahar KhalifehSahar Khalifeh is a Palestinian writer born in 1942 in Nablus of the West Bank. After studying at the University of Birzeit, in the Palestinian occupied territories, she received a Fulbright scholarship and went to continue her studies in the US...
- Salwa BakrSalwa BakrSalwa Bakr is an Egyptian critic, novelist and author. She was born in the Matariyya district in Cairo in 1949. Her father was a railway worker. She studied business at Ain Shams University, gaining a BA degree in 1972. She went on to earn another BA in literary criticism in 1976, before embarking...
- Sinan AntoonSinan AntoonSinan Antoon is an Iraqi poet and novelist, he also featured in the film About Baghdad and Voices in Wartime.Antoon was born in Baghdad to an Iraqi father and American mother. After emigrating to the United States after the Gulf war, he studied English literature at Baghdad University, and...
- Sonallah IbrahimSonallah IbrahimSon'allah Ibrahim is an Egyptian novelist and short story writer and one of the "Sixties Generation" who is known for his leftist and nationalist views which are expressed rather directly in his work...
- Yahya Taher AbdullahYahya Taher AbdullahYahya Taher Abdullah was an Egyptian writer.Abdullah grew up in Upper Egypt but moved to Cairo in 1964 at the age of 28. One of the first to recognize his talents was the writer and editor Edwar al-Kharrat who arranged a monthly stipend for him. Nonetheless, Abdullah lived a meagre existence...
- Yusuf IdrisYusuf IdrisYusuf Idris, also Yusif Idris was an Egyptian writer of plays, short stories, and novels. Idris originally trained to be a doctor, studying at the University of Cairo...
- Zakaria Tamer