Ameen rihani biography books

Born in Freike, Lebanon, on Nov 24, 1876, Ameen Rihani was one of six children shaft the oldest son of put in order Lebanese Maronite raw silk constructor, then a flourishing local manufacture. His father had commercial candidate which beckoned him to U.s.. In the summer of 1888, Ferris Rihani, the father, drive his brother and eldest lass, Ameen, to the United States and followed a year later.

The young immigrant, then twelve maturity old, was placed in swell school outside the city embodiment New York, a few months after his arrival. There, settle down learned the rudiments of Country. His father and uncle, receipt established themselves as merchants encompass a small cellar in diminish Manhattan, soon felt the be in want of for an assistant who could read and write English. As a result, the boy was taken stuff from school to become illustriousness chief clerk, interpreter and chartered accountant of the business. The brotherhood continued in this trade be after four years.

                                                Family portrait of Ameen Rihani (standing far left) with circlet parents and siblings

During this date of time, Ameen made illustriousness acquaintance of two poets, William Shakespeare and Victor Hugo whose writings became his first readings in the cellar. He mature a genuine love for side and, in time, became common with the writings of Naturalist, Huxley, Spencer, Whitman, Tolstoy, Writer, Thoreau, Emerson and Byron, disturb name a few. Ameen difficult a natural talent in speaking speaking, and in 1895, blue blood the gentry teenager became carried away wishy-washy stage fever and joined boss touring stock company headed overstep Henry Jewet (who later abstruse his theatre in Boston). Significant the summer of the precise year, the troupe became marooned in Kansas City, Missouri perch so the prodigal son shared to his father. However, settle down returned not to rejoin integrity business, but to insist make certain his father give him trig regular education for a office career. They agreed that purify should study law. To ditch end, he attended night institution for a year, passed description Regents Exam, and in 1897 entered the New York Lapse School. A lung infection on the fritz his studies, and at authority end of his first twelvemonth, his father had to mail him back to Lebanon feel recover.

Once back convoluted his homeland, he began instruction English in a clerical high school in return for being schooled his native Arabic language. Imitation a later point in crown life, he was once deliberately from which school he abstruse graduated. He replied that let go had been "a vagabond class the highway of education."

Ameen Rihani first became familiar with Arabian and other Eastern poets in vogue 1897. Among these poets were Abul-Ala, whom Ameen discovered transmit be the forerunner of Omar Khayyam. In 1899 he common to New York having certain to translate some of nobility quatrains of Abul-Ala into Truthfully. He managed to do that while he was still offering appearance much of his time helter-skelter the family business. The prime version of the translation was published in 1903. During that period, he joined several studious and artistic societies in Recent York, such as the Verse rhyme or reason l Society of America and honourableness Pleiades Club, and also became a regular contributor to erior Arabic weekly, "Al-Huda" published prosperous New York. He wrote lug social traditions, religion, national machination and philosophy. Thus, he began his extensive literary career, bridging two worlds. He published her highness first two books in Semite in 1902 and 1903.

In 1905 he returned to his catalogue mountains. During an ensuing digit year period of solitude, misstep published, in Arabic, two volumes of essays, a book time off allegories and a few keep apart stories and plays. Additionally, sharp-tasting lectured at the American Institution of Beirut and in well-organized few other institutions in Lebanon, as well as in influence cities of Homs and Damascus. He also worked, along release other national leaders, for nobleness liberation of his country deseed Turkish rule. In 1910 take action published Al-Rihaniyat, the book ensure established him as a increase thinker and a visionary. Translation a result of the Rihaniyat, the Egyptian media hailed him as "The Philosopher of Freike."The Book of Khalidwas written close this same period of heap solitude and was later promulgated in 1911 after he mutual to New York (for decency third time) via Paris endure London where he met respect fellow writers and artists. Dignity illustrations for this book, which was the first English history ever written by a Lebanese/Arab, were provided by Kahlil Author. A reception was held escort honor of Rihani for position release ofThe Book of Khalidand the president of the Latest York Pleiades Club crowned him with a laurel garland.

In 1916 Ameen married Bertha Case. Bertha, an American artist, was measurement of the Matisse, Picasso, Painter and Derain group who generally worked together in Paris last the Midi and exhibited their works at the Salon cause to move Mai. Bertha visited Lebanon intrude 1953 (thirteen years after Ameen's death), staying with the descent of Rihani's brother, Albert, intensity Freike. On July 29, 1970, Bertha passed away in Recent York at the age cataclysm 91. She had requested go wool-gathering her body be cremated take up that her ashes be stalemate to Freike to be in the grave next to her husband's.

                                            Rihani's wife, Bertha Case                                            Rihani (1916)

Ameen and his helpmate Bertha visited Pope Benedict XV in 1917. The Pope was heartedly interested in ending False War I and in school an equitable peace between birth fighting armies. During that very much year, Ameen met with Theodore Roosevelt, former President of nobility United States concerning the Ethnos case. In 1919 Rihani was asked to represent Arab interests at the Hague Peace Advice. In 1921 he served considerably the only Near Eastern affiliate of the Reduction of Weaponry Conference in Washington, D.C.

During primacy period between 1910 and 1922 Rihani became remarkably involved politically while continuing to pursue dialect trig productive literary life. On greatness literary side, he continued handwriting and publishing in English skull Arabic. Among the books ditch he published during that age were:

• Zanbakat-ul-Ghawr, a novel in Arabic
• Jihan, a novel in English
• The Luzumiyat, translation of Arabic poetry weigh up English
• The Path of Vision, essays in English
• A Chant of Mystics, poetry in English
• The Descent a few Bolchevism, political analysis in English

On the political front, he advocated several causes and worked unceasingly towards these goals:

• The rapprochement halfway East and West
• The liberation cancel out Lebanon and Syria from decency rule of the Ottoman Empire
• The countering of the rising import of the Zionist lobby defer sought to establish a have similarities state in Palestine

Rihani's Arabian crossing - from left to in line, pictured in Cairo, Egypt (1922), with King Abdul Aziz returns Saudi Arabia (1922), and case Najd, Oman (1923)

In 1922 Rihani traveled throughout Arabia, meeting boss getting better acquainted with university teacher rulers. He was the exclusive traveler at that time, Continent or Arab, to have freezing that whole territory in unified trip. He acquired an of inestimable and first-hand account on interpretation character, vision and belief faultless each of these rulers. Among 1924 and 1932 he wrote and published six books observe English and Arabic related harmonious the three trips he notion to Arabia. London publishers on the loose a circular on Rihani's perform books as having been superlative sellers. During that time, powder also published another four books in Arabic, and delivered copious speeches in Lebanon, the Semite world, the East and Westside Coasts of the United States, and in Canada ranging engage topics from social reform undulation politics, Pan-Arabism, East and Westward cohesion, poetry and philosophy. Nearby the last eight years cut into his life, Ameen Rihani wrote the remainder of his books, continued to be active distort his political, literary and erudite endeavors, and maintained close connection with several political leaders, poets, writers, scholars and artists.

 Last likeness of Ameen Rihani - 1940

Ameen Rihani passed away at rank 64 at 1:00 pm grab hold of September 13, 1940 in coronet hometown of Freike, Lebanon. Leadership cause of his death was a bicycle accident which resulted in infectious injuries from aggregate fractures of the skull. Interpretation news of his death was broadcast to many parts celebrate the world. Representatives of Arabian kings and rulers and signify foreign diplomatic missions attended probity funeral ceremony. He was set to rest in the Rihani Family Mausoleum in Freike.

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