Zakariyya Tamer
Encyclopedia
Zakaria Tamer also transliterated Zakariya Tamir (strict transliteration ), (born January 2, 1931 in Damascus
, Syria
) is an influential master of the Arabic-language short story.
He is one of the most important and widely read and translated short story writers in the Arab world, as well as being the foremost author of children’s stories in Arabic. He also writes children's stories and works as a freelance journalist
, writing satirical columns in newspapers.
His volumes of short stories, are often reminiscent of folktales, and are renowned for their relative simplicity on the one hand and the complexity of their many potential references on the other. They often have a sharp edge and are often a surrealistic protest against political or social oppression and exploitation. Most of Zakaria Tamer’s stories deal with people’s inhumanity to each other, the oppression of the poor by the rich and of the weak by the strong. The political and social problems of his own country, Syria
, and of the Arab world, are reflected in the stories and sketches in the satirical style typical of his writing.
His first stories were published in 1957. Since then he has published eleven collections of short stories, two collections of satirical articles and numerous children’s books. His works have been translated into many languages, with two collections in English, Tigers on the Tenth Day (translated by Denys Johnson-Davies
, Quartet 1985) and Breaking Knees, published June 2008.
In 2009 he won the Blue Metropolis Montreal International Literary prize.
He began his literary career in 1957, when he published some stories in Syrian journals. His first manuscript was noticed by Yusuf al-Khal
, the poet, critic and editor of the magazine Shi'r ("Poetry") which at the time was acting as midwife to the birth of modern Arabic poetry. The talent that lay behind the poetical prose of theses stories, was so unlike anything being written in Arabic at the time, that Al-Khal decided to publish it, this became his first collection of short stories, which was entitled The Neighing of the White Steed.
The collection brought him considerable attention and repute amount readers and critics.
He was instrumental in the establishment of the Syrian Writers Union in Syria 1968. He was elected member of the executive bureau responsible for the publishing and print, and was vice-president of the Union for four years.
In 1980 he was dismissed from editing the periodical al-Marifah, published by the Syrian Ministry of Culture, as a result of the publication of extracts from Abd al-Rahman al-kawakibi’s (1849–1902) book, Tabai al istibadad (“The Characteristics of Despotism, 1900), in which the author denounced tyranny and called for freedom. As a result of his dismissal, Tamer decided to travel to London, leaving his home country of Syria.
. In the year 2000 the Syrian literary journal al-Mawqif al-adabī published five articles on Zakaria Tamer's fiction in a special issue. Among them there is a paper by Najm Abd Allāh Kāim on the genre to which Tamer’s works belong, pointing out the economy and ambiguity of the language by which he expresses the correlation between the narrative context and its implications, which is of fundamental importance for the aesthetic structure of Tamer’s short stories. Another scholar, Nādiyā Khūst, analyses Nidā Nū in particular, and notes the psychological paradox underlying the bizarre situations depicted in his stories.
This paradox reveals the general qualities of Tamer’s creative technique, including the intermingling of farce and tragedy, of humor and seriousness.
From 1981-1982 he took charge of Al Dustoor magazine as managing editor, he went on to be culture editor of Al Tadhamon magazine (1983–1988) and in became managing editor of Al Naqid magazine (1988–1993), and culture editor at Riyadh Al Rayes Publishing House.
He also wrote for various newspapers and periodicals published in London, including Al-Quds Al-Arabi
.
, a well known arab critic, once contrasted him with Charles Darwin
: One showing how humans developed from monkeys, the other showing how humans could be manipulated into becoming monkeys.
Another favorite theme, as seen in such stories as the "The Stale Loaf" and the "Room with Two Beds", is the sexual frustration of the young in the Arab world and the toll that is exacted - particularly from the women - when sexual taboos are breached, or are thought to have been breached.
Though humor is not one of the ingredients of these stories, the writer does allow himself an occasional sardonic grin at the forms of injustice to which man is subjected by his rulers, his fellow men and the circumstances of lives enclosed in routine of ill-rewarded work and unfulfillment. Zakaria Tamer's world is Orwellian
though unmistakably Arab
. The secret police, with their physical brutalities, feature in many of the stories, as for instance in the dark-humored "A summary of What Happened to Mohammed al-Mahmoudi", where a harmless old man finds that even in death he is not immune from their attention.
The directness and absence of embroidery with which Zakaria Tamer writes is a powerful weapon in giving distinctive form to the basic themes to which he returns again and again.
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....
) is an influential master of the Arabic-language short story.
He is one of the most important and widely read and translated short story writers in the Arab world, as well as being the foremost author of children’s stories in Arabic. He also writes children's stories and works as a freelance journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
, writing satirical columns in newspapers.
His volumes of short stories, are often reminiscent of folktales, and are renowned for their relative simplicity on the one hand and the complexity of their many potential references on the other. They often have a sharp edge and are often a surrealistic protest against political or social oppression and exploitation. Most of Zakaria Tamer’s stories deal with people’s inhumanity to each other, the oppression of the poor by the rich and of the weak by the strong. The political and social problems of his own country, 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....
, and of the Arab world, are reflected in the stories and sketches in the satirical style typical of his writing.
His first stories were published in 1957. Since then he has published eleven collections of short stories, two collections of satirical articles and numerous children’s books. His works have been translated into many languages, with two collections in English, Tigers on the Tenth Day (translated by Denys Johnson-Davies
Denys Johnson-Davies
Denys Johnson-Davies is an eminent Arabic-into-English literary translator who has translated, inter alia, several works by Nobel Prize-winning Egyptian author Naguib Mahfouz, Sudanese author Tayeb Salih, Palestinian poet Mahmud Darwish and Syrian author Zakaria Tamer.Davies, referred to as “the...
, Quartet 1985) and Breaking Knees, published June 2008.
In 2009 he won the Blue Metropolis Montreal International Literary prize.
Early life
Zakaria Tamer was born in 1931 in the Al-Basha district of Damascus. He was forced to leave school in 1944, at the age of thirteen in order to help provide for his family. He was apprenticed to a blacksmith as a locksmith in a factory in the Al-Basha district of Damascus. At the same time, as an autodidact, he spent many hours reading various books, he became interested in politics and was encouraged by contact with intellectuals to continue his education at night school. He read voraciously and was provoked by his reading, as he later said in an interview, "to create a voice which [he] hadn't been able to find [there]". His intention was to represent in his writing the very poor majority of men and women in Syria, with their joyless and restricted existence.He began his literary career in 1957, when he published some stories in Syrian journals. His first manuscript was noticed by Yusuf al-Khal
Yusuf al-Khal
Yusuf al-Khal was a Syrian-born poet. He made his career largely in Lebanon.With Ali Ahmad Said , al-Khal founded the magazine Shi'r in Beirut in 1957. [Irwin, 24] His poetry has also been recognized in Near East poetry collections. - Featured works :* al-Khal, Yusuf. The Flag of Childhood: Poems...
, the poet, critic and editor of the magazine Shi'r ("Poetry") which at the time was acting as midwife to the birth of modern Arabic poetry. The talent that lay behind the poetical prose of theses stories, was so unlike anything being written in Arabic at the time, that Al-Khal decided to publish it, this became his first collection of short stories, which was entitled The Neighing of the White Steed.
The collection brought him considerable attention and repute amount readers and critics.
1960-1981
Following his literary success, which was reflected in the good reception of his first collection, he left his job as a blacksmith and embarked on a new career, as government official, as well as editor of several journals, including the cultural periodicals Al Mawqif al-Adabi, and Al Marifah, and the children’s magazine Usamah.He was instrumental in the establishment of the Syrian Writers Union in Syria 1968. He was elected member of the executive bureau responsible for the publishing and print, and was vice-president of the Union for four years.
In 1980 he was dismissed from editing the periodical al-Marifah, published by the Syrian Ministry of Culture, as a result of the publication of extracts from Abd al-Rahman al-kawakibi’s (1849–1902) book, Tabai al istibadad (“The Characteristics of Despotism, 1900), in which the author denounced tyranny and called for freedom. As a result of his dismissal, Tamer decided to travel to London, leaving his home country of Syria.
1980s onwards
Interest in Tamer’s works did not lessen after his immigration to Great BritainGreat Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
. In the year 2000 the Syrian literary journal al-Mawqif al-adabī published five articles on Zakaria Tamer's fiction in a special issue. Among them there is a paper by Najm Abd Allāh Kāim on the genre to which Tamer’s works belong, pointing out the economy and ambiguity of the language by which he expresses the correlation between the narrative context and its implications, which is of fundamental importance for the aesthetic structure of Tamer’s short stories. Another scholar, Nādiyā Khūst, analyses Nidā Nū in particular, and notes the psychological paradox underlying the bizarre situations depicted in his stories.
This paradox reveals the general qualities of Tamer’s creative technique, including the intermingling of farce and tragedy, of humor and seriousness.
From 1981-1982 he took charge of Al Dustoor magazine as managing editor, he went on to be culture editor of Al Tadhamon magazine (1983–1988) and in became managing editor of Al Naqid magazine (1988–1993), and culture editor at Riyadh Al Rayes Publishing House.
He also wrote for various newspapers and periodicals published in London, including Al-Quds Al-Arabi
Al-Quds Al-Arabi
Al-Quds Al-Arabi , is an independent pan-Arab daily newspaper published in London since 1989. The paper is owned by Palestinian expatriates, and edited by Abd al-Bari Atwan who was born in a Palestinian refugee camp in Gaza Strip in 1950. Its motto is . Its circulation is estimated to be...
.
Quotes
Awards
- 2001: Sultan Bin Ali Al Owais Cultural Foundation: Prize of Stories Novels & Drama
- 2002: Honoured and invested with the Syrian Order of Merit
- 2009: Awarded the Blue Metroplis Montreal International Literary prize
Themes In Writing
A common theme in his writing has been that the strongest of us can gradually be broken and tamed by those who wield the whip of power. Those who rule, Zakaria Tamer tells us in many a story, while devoid of all the noble qualities that should be theirs, possess the intuitive awareness of how to use the carrot and the stick. Muhammad al-MaghutMuhammad al-Maghut
Muhammed al-Maghut was a Syrian writer and poet. He was born in Salamiya, Syria in an Ismaili family.Muhammad Maghout was credited as the father of the Arabic free verse poetry, liberatng the Arabic poems from the traditional form and revolutionizing the structure of the poem.He wrote for...
, a well known arab critic, once contrasted him with Charles Darwin
Charles Darwin
Charles Robert Darwin FRS was an English naturalist. He established that all species of life have descended over time from common ancestry, and proposed the scientific theory that this branching pattern of evolution resulted from a process that he called natural selection.He published his theory...
: One showing how humans developed from monkeys, the other showing how humans could be manipulated into becoming monkeys.
Another favorite theme, as seen in such stories as the "The Stale Loaf" and the "Room with Two Beds", is the sexual frustration of the young in the Arab world and the toll that is exacted - particularly from the women - when sexual taboos are breached, or are thought to have been breached.
Though humor is not one of the ingredients of these stories, the writer does allow himself an occasional sardonic grin at the forms of injustice to which man is subjected by his rulers, his fellow men and the circumstances of lives enclosed in routine of ill-rewarded work and unfulfillment. Zakaria Tamer's world is Orwellian
Orwellian
"Orwellian" describes the situation, idea, or societal condition that George Orwell identified as being destructive to the welfare of a free society...
though unmistakably Arab
Arab
Arab people, also known as Arabs , are a panethnicity primarily living in the Arab world, which is located in Western Asia and North Africa. They are identified as such on one or more of genealogical, linguistic, or cultural grounds, with tribal affiliations, and intra-tribal relationships playing...
. The secret police, with their physical brutalities, feature in many of the stories, as for instance in the dark-humored "A summary of What Happened to Mohammed al-Mahmoudi", where a harmless old man finds that even in death he is not immune from their attention.
The directness and absence of embroidery with which Zakaria Tamer writes is a powerful weapon in giving distinctive form to the basic themes to which he returns again and again.
Works
To date he has published eleven collections of stories, two collections of satirical articles and dozens of children's books.Short story collections
- The Neighing of the White Steed(1960) صهيل الجواد الابيض
- Spring In The Ashes, (1963) ربيع في الرماد
- The Thunder, (1970) الرعد
- Damascus Fire, (1973) دمشق الحرائق
- Tigers on the Tenth Day, (1978) النمور في اليوم العاشر
- Noah's Summons, (1994),نداء نوح
- We Shall Laugh, (1998) سنضحك
- IF!, (1998) أف!
- Sour Grapes, (2000) الحصرم
- Breaking Knees, (2002) تكسير ركب
- The Hedgehog, (2005) القنفذ
Collections of satirical articles
- Glories, Arabs, Glories, (1986) Amjad Ya Arab amjad
- The Victim's Satire Of His Killer, (2003)
Other Collections
- Why the River Fell Silent, (1973) لماذا سكت النهر
- The Flower Spoke to the Bird, (1978) قالت الوردة للسنونو
In Translation
- Breaking Knees, (2008), translated by Ibrahim Muhawi (Reading, UK: Garnet Publishing)
Editorial Work
- 1960-1963, Writers and Publishing Dept. at Syria Ministry of Culture
- 1963-1965, editor of weekly Al Mawqef Al Arabi, Syria
- 1965-1966, Screenwriter for Jeddah TV, KSA
- 1967, started his work at Syria Ministry of Information
- 1967-1970, Head of Drama Department at Syrian TV
- 1970-1971, Editor-in-Chief of kids Rafi magazine, Syria
- 1972-1975, Editor-in-Chief of Al Mawqef Al Adabi magazine, Syria
- 1975-1977, Editor-in-Chief of kids Osama magazine, Syria
- 1978-1980, Editor-in-Chief of Al Ma’arifa magazine, Syria
- 1980-1981, Syria Ministry of Culture
- 1981-1982, Managing editor of Al Dustoor magazine, London
- 1983-1988, Culture editor of Al Tadhamon magazine, London
- 1988-1993, Managing editor of Al Naqid magazine and culture editor at Riyadh Al Rayes Publishing House, London
Other Activities
- Co-founded Arab Writers Union in Syria 1969, member of its Executive Bureau, and Deputy Chairman for four years
- Participated in many literary events in Arab countries
- Jury member of many Arab and international literary competitions
Newspaper Columns
- 1989-1994, Al-Quds Al-ArabiAl-Quds Al-ArabiAl-Quds Al-Arabi , is an independent pan-Arab daily newspaper published in London since 1989. The paper is owned by Palestinian expatriates, and edited by Abd al-Bari Atwan who was born in a Palestinian refugee camp in Gaza Strip in 1950. Its motto is . Its circulation is estimated to be...
, Wrote daily articles for Al-Quds Al-Arabi newspaper, London - 2002, Azzaman Newspaper
- 2006, Al Tawra Newspaper (Revolution)
Selected studies
- Damascene Shahrazad: The Images of Women in Zakariyya Tamir’s Short Stories Source: Hawwa 4, no. 1 (2006)
- Bayan Rayhanova. Mythological and Folkloric Motifs in Syrian Prose: The Short Stories of Zakariyya Tamir
- Bulletin of the Israeli Oriental society - التربيه والترويض وما بينهما كما ينعكس الامر في القصص القصيرة للكاتب السوري زكريا تامر .
- Bulletin of the Israeli Oriental society -الحق للحرية كما يتمثل في أدب الأطفال عند زكريا تامر
- Tishreen University Journal for Studies and Scientific Research- Arts and Humanities Science Series Vol (26) No (1) 2004 - الرؤية السردية في قصص زكريا تامر
- Individuation and Literature: Zakariyya. Tamir and his Café Man’ (Emma Westney), Oxford University (1996)
- Alon Fragman, Ben Gurion University: “When the Birds Leave Their Cage: Zakariyya Tamir’s Writing in Exile”
- Historical and literary figures in the works of Zakariyyā Tāmirs, (Historische und literarische Figuren im Werk Zakariyyā Tāmirs by Peter Dové), Universität Bern (2003)
External links
- Journal of Arabic Literature, Volume 16, Number 1, 1985 , pp. 105-108(4),'The Moon Unmasked' By Zakaria Tamer translated by Hugh Pope (Last Accessed 4 June 2008)
- Short Story "The Sleeping Woman" (Last Accessed 4 June 2008)
- Zakaria Tamer, Al Thawra Newspaper column (Last Accessed 4th Jan 2007)
- Archive of all Zakaria Tamer Articles written for Azzaman Newspaper (Last Accessed 4th Jan 2007)
- Profile from Owais Cultural Foundation(Last Accessed: 7th Dec 2006)
- Arabic narratives galore (Last Accessed: 7th Dec 2006)
- Encarta Article On contribution to Arabic Literature and the Short Story Genre (Last Accessed 4 June 2008)
- Short Story "Sprouts" Translation from the Arabic by William Hutchins (Last Accessed: 7th Dec 2006)
- Al-Shams al-Saghira ("Little Sun") by Zakaria Tamir(Last Accessed: 7th Dec 2006)
- Al-Liha ("The Beards") by Zakaria Tamir(Last Accessed: 7th Dec 2006)
- Al-Hazimah and Kidhb ("The Defeat" and "The Lie") by Zakaria Tamir(Last Accessed: 7th Dec 2006)
- Death of a Dagger By Zakaria Tamer(Last Accessed: 31 March 2007)