Podcasts religion Israel in Translation The 'pessoptimist' who worked for coexistence

The 'pessoptimist' who worked for coexistence

Published: Sept. 3, 2014, 1:13 p.m.

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Born in Haifa in 1922, Emile Habibi worked in the city\'s oil refinery before moving to the Palestinian broadcasting station in Jerusalem. Habibi was a lone voice calling for the acceptance of the UN plan for the division of Palestine into an Arab and a Jewish state. Soon after the creation of Israel, he became a political activist, serving in the Knesset for 20 years.

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After the shock of the six-day war of 1967, Habibi\\u2019s writing turned to satire and bitter humor. In 1974 he published The Secret Life of Saeed the Pessoptimist. Acknowledging a debt to Lawrence Sterne and Voltaire, the heavily-footnoted novel tells the story of Palestinians in Israel to date. Marcela reads a passage in which the protagonist describes a \'pessoptimist.\'

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In 1990, Habibi received the Al-Quds Prize from the PLO. In 1992, he received the Israel Prize for Arabic literature. His willingness to accept both prizes reflected his belief in coexistence; he said, "A dialogue of prizes is better than a dialogue of stones and bullets."

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Emile Habibi died in 1996. Buried in Haifa, his tombstone reads, at his request, "Emile Habibi, Stayed in Haifa."

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Text:

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The Secret Life of Saeed The Pessoptimist, Emile Habibi. Transl. Trevor Le Gassick (Interlink World Fiction Series)

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Saraya, The Ogre\\u2019s Daughter. A Palestinian Fairy Tale, Emile Habibi. Transl. Peter Theroux. (Ibis Editions).

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Music:

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Fairuz Ziad - Most Beautiful Sound Clips

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Umm Kulthum - \\u0643\\u0648\\u0643\\u0628 \\u0627\\u0644\\u0634\\u0631\\u0642 \\u0633\\u064a\\u062f\\u0629 \\u0627\\u0644\\u063a\\u0646\\u0627\\u0621 \\u0627\\u0644\\u0639\\u0631\\u0628\\u064a \\u0623\\u0645 \\u0643\\u0644\\u062b\\u0648\\u0645 / \\u0623\\u0646\\u062a \\u0639\\u0645\\u0631\\u064a

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