Rafik Schami - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Rafik Schami is a Syrian-German

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

author

Author

An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...

, storyteller

Storytelling

Storytelling is the conveying of events in words, images and sounds, often by improvisation or embellishment. Stories or narratives have been shared in every culture as a means of entertainment, education, cultural preservation and in order to instill moral values...

and critic

Critic

A critic is anyone who expresses a value judgement. Informally, criticism is a common aspect of all human expression and need not necessarily imply skilled or accurate expressions of judgement. Critical judgements, good or bad, may be positive , negative , or balanced...

Biography

Born in Damascus

Damascus

Damascus , commonly known in Syria as Al Sham , and as the City of Jasmine , is the capital and the second largest city of Syria after Aleppo, both are part of the country's 14 governorates. In addition to being one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, Damascus is a major...

, Syria

Syria

Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....

in 1946, Schami is the son of a baker from an Syriac-Christian

Christian

A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...

family. His schooling and university studies (diploma in chemistry

Chemistry

Chemistry is the science of matter, especially its chemical reactions, but also its composition, structure and properties. Chemistry is concerned with atoms and their interactions with other atoms, and particularly with the properties of chemical bonds....

) took place in Damascus

Damascus

. From 1965, Schami wrote stories in Arabic

Arabic language

Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...

. From 1964-70 he was the co-founder and editor of the wall news-sheet Al-Muntalak (The Starting-Point) in the old quarter of the city. In 1971 Schami moved to Heidelberg

Heidelberg

-Early history:Between 600,000 and 200,000 years ago, "Heidelberg Man" died at nearby Mauer. His jaw bone was discovered in 1907; with scientific dating, his remains were determined to be the earliest evidence of human life in Europe. In the 5th century BC, a Celtic fortress of refuge and place of...

and financed further studies by typical guest worker jobs (factories, building sites, restaurants). He earned his doctorate in chemistry in 1979 and began career in the chemical industry. In his spare time, he co-founded the literary group Südwind in 1980 and was part of the PoLiKunst movement. Schami became a full time author in 1982. He lives in Kirchheimbolanden

Kirchheimbolanden

Kirchheimbolanden, the capital of Donnersbergkreis, is a town in Rhineland-Palatinate, south-western Germany. It is situated approx. 25 km west of Worms, and 30 km north-east of Kaiserslautern. The first part of the name, Kirchheim, dates back to 774. It became a town in 1368, and the...

with his Bavaria

Bavaria

Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...

n wife and son and he holds dual citizenship. Schami's books have been translated into 20 languages.

Assessment

Syrian-born Rafik Schami rates as one of the leading figures of German Gastarbeiter

Gastarbeiter

Gastarbeiter is German for "guest worker." It refers to migrant workers who had moved to West Germany mainly in the 1960s and 70s, seeking work as part of a formal guest worker programme...

literatur (Guest-worker literature) or Migrantenliteratur

Migrant literature

Migrant literature, that is, writings by and to a lesser extent about migrants, is a topic which has commanded growing interest within literary studies since the 1980s...

(migrant literature). Invited to help with the post-war rebuilding of Germany, Arbeitsmigranten (migrant workers) from Mediterranean countries - mainly Turkey

Turkey

Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...

- began to arrive in 1960, and by 1968 their numbers were over 150,000. A distinctive migrant literature began to emerge in significant quantities in the late 1970s. Schami's importance lies both in his own writing and in his role as a facilitator for other writers: in 1980 he co-founded the literary groups Südwind (South Wind) and PoLiKunst (Polinationaler Literatur und Kunstverein; Polynational Literary and Art Society) aimed at fostering the work of non-native German authors.

Typical themes of migrant literature are conditions in the homeland and life as an alien

Alien (law)

In law, an alien is a person in a country who is not a citizen of that country.-Categorization:Types of "alien" persons are:*An alien who is legally permitted to remain in a country which is foreign to him or her. On specified terms, this kind of alien may be called a legal alien of that country...

in Germany. Both of these are to be found in Schami's works, but unlike many migrant writings in German, they never degenerate into a lament on the difficulties of the foreign worker or an exposé of German xenophobia

Xenophobia

Xenophobia is defined as "an unreasonable fear of foreigners or strangers or of that which is foreign or strange". It comes from the Greek words ξένος , meaning "stranger," "foreigner" and φόβος , meaning "fear."...

. Rather, they seek gently to draw from the reader a sympathy and tolerance for cultural diversity. Mostly they are set in Damascus

Damascus

, occasionally in Ma'loula, the village the author's family originates from. They describe life in the Arab world for the benefit of the western reader, providing factual information and offering insights into aspects of daily life. In the process, they quietly undermine all kinds of prejudice

Prejudice

Prejudice is making a judgment or assumption about someone or something before having enough knowledge to be able to do so with guaranteed accuracy, or "judging a book by its cover"...

.

The short novel Eine Hand voller Sterne (1987; A Handful of Stars), which contains many autobiographical elements, is a good example of this. It takes the form of the diary

Diary

A diary is a record with discrete entries arranged by date reporting on what has happened over the course of a day or other period. A personal diary may include a person's experiences, and/or thoughts or feelings, including comment on current events outside the writer's direct experience. Someone...

of a Damascene

Damascene

Damascene refers to someone from Damascus.Damascene, inferring a direct or indirect link with the city, may also refer to:* John Damascene , Syrian Christian monk and priest* Damascene , a breed of fancy pigeon...

youth, following his progress through school, work, and family life, and featuring the themes of friendship and first love in a difficult situation of social conflict. Without ever appearing didactic, it educates the reader to an awareness of the richness of life in a foreign culture. Important here is the differentiating presentation of the Arab world which militates against the homogeneity of western perceptions. Like the author, the diary-writer stands in the Christian tradition: not all Arabs are Muslims. Cultural diversity in Syria is a key theme in the book, for example in the riddle of the "madman", which can only be solved by the co-operation of all the communities in Damascus

Damascus

. The story "Nuh, mein Freund" ("My Friend Nuh") in the collection Der Fliegenmelker (1985; The Fly Milker) deals with the young man's discovery of an affection for the Kurdish minority.

If the fiction set in Syria presents a positive view of Arab family and social structures, it frequently contains critical comment on Damascene

Damascene

politics, on corruption

Political corruption

Political corruption is the use of legislated powers by government officials for illegitimate private gain. Misuse of government power for other purposes, such as repression of political opponents and general police brutality, is not considered political corruption. Neither are illegal acts by...

, censorship

Censorship

thumb|[[Book burning]] following the [[1973 Chilean coup d'état|1973 coup]] that installed the [[Military government of Chile |Pinochet regime]] in Chile...

, issues of civil and human rights

Human rights

Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...

. It was because of these problems that Schami himself left Syria and was unable to return. A Handful of Stars is again a good example, charting as it does the growing political awareness of the boy as he discovers journalism

Journalism

Journalism is the practice of investigation and reporting of events, issues and trends to a broad audience in a timely fashion. Though there are many variations of journalism, the ideal is to inform the intended audience. Along with covering organizations and institutions such as government and...

as a form of civil resistance. The story "Als der Angstmacher Angst bekam" ("When the Fear-maker became Afraid") in Der Fliegenmelker takes a malicious delight in the downfall of a government informer, a stock figure in Schami's Damascene

Damascene

fiction. Other texts speak of the fear of police brutality, skepticism vis à vis government propaganda and disillusionment as a series of coups fail to bring political change.

By contrast Schami has a generally positive view of Germany. In interviews and speeches he warns against undercurrents of intolerance but speaks optimistically of the Germans as a people well-placed precisely because of their history to embrace foreign elements. Some stories dealing generally with intolerance and injustice could certainly be read in the context of migrant workers in Germany. One commentator interprets the title story of Das Letzte Wort der Wanderratte (1984; The Itinerant Rat's Last Word) in this way: rats = guest-workers, humans = Germans, massacre of Hamelin rats = Holocaust; the interpretation is possible but not necessary. Similarly the title story of Das Schaf im Wolfpelz (1982; Sheep in Wolf's Clothing) and many others which very obviously contain a social moral

Moral

A moral is a message conveyed or a lesson to be learned from a story or event. The moral may be left to the hearer, reader or viewer to determine for themselves, or may be explicitly encapsulated in a maxim...

could certainly be taken to address the situation in Germany but could be equally applicable in Syria or elsewhere. The story "Vampire lieben Knoblauch" ("Vampires Love Garlic") in Das Letzte Wort der Wanderratte tells how Günter with his crucifix

Crucifix

A crucifix is an independent image of Jesus on the cross with a representation of Jesus' body, referred to in English as the corpus , as distinct from a cross with no body....

and Ali with his crescent are equally helpless victims of the predator, Dracula

Dracula

Dracula is an 1897 novel by Irish author Bram Stoker.Famous for introducing the character of the vampire Count Dracula, the novel tells the story of Dracula's attempt to relocate from Transylvania to England, and the battle between Dracula and a small group of men and women led by Professor...

; it is a mistake to seek anti-German polemic in Schami's writing.

His sharpest criticism is directed against the principle of assimilation

Cultural assimilation

Cultural assimilation is a socio-political response to demographic multi-ethnicity that supports or promotes the assimilation of ethnic minorities into the dominant culture. The term assimilation is often used with regard to immigrants and various ethnic groups who have settled in a new land. New...

, with its implication that outsiders settling in Germany should abandon their own cultural identity. In the story "Als der Meister auftrat" ("When the Master Entered") in Das Letzte Wort der Wanderratte, the migrant worker Hassan has himself transformed into a Siegfried, only to discover that the deception is untenable. The magician who sells him his German skin is named Gnussapna - an inversion of Anpassung, assimilation. As an alternative the story speaks of bridge-building, the disarming of prejudices in both communities. Against the pressure for ethnic minorities to become invisible, Schami champions the concept of a boldly multicultural society, which indeed was the basic ideal of the PoLiKunst movement. A fine expression of the importance of co-existence is the parable "Der Wald und das Streichholz" ("The Forest and the Matchstick") in Der Fliegenmelker: if the pines and the olives each hope the match will burn the others, it will burn them all.

The overriding characteristic of Schami's style is its affinity to the oral tradition of Arabic story-telling: one could speak of an integration of Arabic and German narrative traditions. Most of his books are collections of stories, while the novels abound in echoes of the Arabian Nights, even in the titles 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 series of inserted stories presented orally by protagonists within a narrative framework. Damascus Nights in particular is a story about story-telling. Vom Zauber der Zunge (1991; On the Magic of the Tongue) gives an account of the background to it. Schami began as a child telling stories to his friends on the streets of Damascus

Damascus

, and his promotional appearances are less public readings than free retellings of his works. Story-tellers are favorite protagonists.

One consequence of this is that the target audience is extremely fluid: while some of his works are clearly published as children's literature

Children's literature

Children's literature is for readers and listeners up to about age twelve; it is often defined in four different ways: books written by children, books written for children, books chosen by children, or books chosen for children. It is often illustrated. The term is used in senses which sometimes...

(picture books, cassettes), the distinction between youth, young adult and adult literature is not easily made; traditional story-telling addresses the entire community at once. The interplay of truth and fiction, always difficult concepts, is a recurring theme in Schami's writings. Der ehrliche Lügner opens with the words: "My name is Sadik, but not even that is certain." Elsewhere we are told that the important thing is not whether stories are true, but rather how we live with them (A Handful of Stars). Although elements from fairy-tale worlds may appear in these stories, they are always rooted in daily life. Schami has made a distinction between Illusion and Phantasie (illusion and vision). Illusion is an unachievable dream, distorting the world to something impossible, whereas vision is the imaginative construction of achievable goals; rooted in reality it indicates something which can be striven for, but this reality means also accepting the other possibility, that there may not be a happy ending. Asked by a radio interviewer whether literature

Literature

Literature is the art of written works, and is not bound to published sources...

is an escape from reality, Schami answers, yes: but one which enables the reader to return 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 (Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...

n State Press) Ehrenliste 1989;
Rattenfänger-Preis der Stadt Hameln 1990;
Phantastikpreis der Stadt Wetzlar 1990;
Mildred L. Batchelder Award
Mildred L. Batchelder Award
The Mildred L. Batchelder Award, also known as the Batchelder Award, is an award granted annually by the Association for Library Service to Children a division of the American Library Association . The award is named in honor of Mildred L. Batchelder, former director of the ALSC...

, for the English translation A Hand Full of Stars, 1991
Adelbert-von-Chamisso-Preis 1993;
Hermann Hesse
Hermann Hesse
Hermann Hesse was a German-Swiss poet, novelist, and painter. In 1946, he received the Nobel Prize in Literature...

-Preis 1994;
Hans-Erich-Nossack-Preis der deutschen Wirtschaft 1997;
Nelly Sachs Prize
Nelly Sachs Prize
The Nelly Sachs Prize is a literary prize given every two years by the German city of Dortmund. It is named after the Jewish poet Nelly Sachs and includes a cash award of €15,000...

2006.

List of fictional writings

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 Susa: Als der Elefant sich in eine Maus verliebte, 1986
Der Kameltreiber von Heidelberg (Radio Play) 1986; as cassette 1987
Eine Hand voller Sterne, 1987; as
- A Handful of Stars, translated by Rika Lesser, 1990
Malula: Märchen und Märchenhaftes aus meinem Dorf, 1987
Als die Puppen aus der Reihe tanzten (Play) 1987
Die Sehnsucht fährt schwarz: Geschichten aus der Fremde, 1988
Erzähler der Nacht, 1989; as
- 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 und Morgen, 1995
Der Schnabelsteher, 1995 as
- The Crow Who Stood on His Beak, translated by Anthea Bell 1996.
Fatima und der Traumdieb, 1995 as
- 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, Deutscher Taschenbuch Verlag 1998
Die dunkle Seite der Liebe, 2004 as
- The Dark Side of Love, translated by Anthea Bell
  Anthea Bell
  Anthea Bell OBE is a British translator who has translated numerous literary works, especially children's literature, from French, German, Danish and Polish to English...
  
  2009

Published speeches and interviews

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

Source

This article is taken (with permission) from: Graeme Dunphy, "Rafik Schami", in: Matthias Konzett (ed), Encyclopedia of German Literature II 874-51, Fitzroy-Dearborn 2000. ISBN 1-57958-138-2

Biography

Assessment

Literary prizes

List of fictional writings

Published speeches and interviews

Source

See also