Trevor LeGassick
Encyclopedia
Trevor LeGassick is a noted Western scholar and translator in the field of Arabic literature
. He obtained a BA in Arabic from the School of Oriental and African Studies
in 1958 and completed a PhD, also from SOAS, in 1960. After stints in Wisconsin and Indiana, he joined the faculty of the University of Michigan
in 1966. He was promoted to full professor in 1979.
LeGassick has published three books and numerous articles on contemporary Arabic culture and literature. He is also noted as a translator of Arabic novels, short stories and plays, covering a wide range of modern writers such as Naguib Mahfouz
, Halim Barakat
, Yusuf Idris
and Emile Habiby. His 1975 translation of Mahfouz's novel Midaq Alley was one of the first works to introduce English speakers to the writings of the eventual Nobel Prize
winner.
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....
. He obtained a BA in Arabic from the School of Oriental and African Studies
School of Oriental and African Studies
The School of Oriental and African Studies is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and a constituent college of the University of London...
in 1958 and completed a PhD, also from SOAS, in 1960. After stints in Wisconsin and Indiana, he joined the faculty of the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
in 1966. He was promoted to full professor in 1979.
LeGassick has published three books and numerous articles on contemporary Arabic culture and literature. He is also noted as a translator of Arabic novels, short stories and plays, covering a wide range of modern writers such as 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...
, Halim Barakat
Halim Barakat
Halim Barakat is an Arab novelist and sociologist. He was born December 4, 1936 into a Greek-Orthodox Arab family in Kafroun, Syria, and raised in Beirut.-Career:...
, Yusuf Idris
Yusuf Idris
Yusuf 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...
and Emile Habiby. His 1975 translation of Mahfouz's novel Midaq Alley was one of the first works to introduce English speakers to the writings of the eventual Nobel Prize
Nobel Prize
The Nobel Prizes are annual international awards bestowed by Scandinavian committees in recognition of cultural and scientific advances. The will of the Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, established the prizes in 1895...
winner.
Books
- Major Themes in Modern Arabic Thoughts (1979)
- The Defense Statement of Ahmad 'Urabi(1982)
- Critical Perspectives on Naguib Mahfouz (1990)
Selected translations
- Midaq Alley by 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...
. 1975 - Days of Dust by Halim BarakatHalim BarakatHalim Barakat is an Arab novelist and sociologist. He was born December 4, 1936 into a Greek-Orthodox Arab family in Kafroun, Syria, and raised in Beirut.-Career:...
. 1974 - Flipflop and His Master by 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...
. A three-act play in translation, 1977 - I Am Free and Other Stories by I. Abd El Koddus. 1978.
- The Secret Life of Saeed (A Palestinian Who Became a Citizen of Israel) by Emile Habiby. Co-translator: Salma Khadra Jayyusi. 1982
- The Thief and the Dogs by Naguib Mahfouz. Co-translator: M. Badawi. 1984
- Wild Thorns by 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...
. Co-translator: Elizabeth Fernea. 1985