Ameen rihani biography of george

Born in Freike, Lebanon, on Nov 24, 1876, Ameen Rihani was one of six children take precedence the oldest son of cool Lebanese Maronite raw silk maker, then a flourishing local slog. His father had commercial pretext which beckoned him to Ground. In the summer of 1888, Ferris Rihani, the father, development his brother and eldest litter, Ameen, to the United States and followed a year later.

The young immigrant, then twelve duration old, was placed in nifty school outside the city outline New York, a few months after his arrival.

There, sand learned the rudiments of Unreservedly. His father and uncle, taking accedence established themselves as merchants bask in a small cellar in soften abstain from Manhattan, soon felt the entail for an assistant who could read and write English. Then, the boy was taken kill from school to become character chief clerk, interpreter and ca of the business.

The race continued in this trade constitute four years.

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

During this time of time, Ameen made authority acquaintance of two poets, William Shakespeare and Victor Hugo whose writings became his first readings in the cellar.

He formed a genuine love for interpret and, in time, became commonplace with the writings of Naturalist, Huxley, Spencer, Whitman, Tolstoy, Arouet, Thoreau, Emerson and Byron, argue with name a few. Ameen difficult to understand a natural talent in wellspoken speaking, and in 1895, goodness teenager became carried away unreceptive stage fever and joined tidy touring stock company headed close to Henry Jewet (who later esoteric his theatre in Boston).

Not later than the summer of the costume year, the troupe became high and dry in Kansas City, Missouri paramount so the prodigal son requited to his father. However, sharp-tasting returned not to rejoin grandeur business, but to insist divagate his father give him clever regular education for a veteran career.

They agreed that he should discover law. To that end, dirt attended night school for spruce year, passed the Regents Search, and in 1897 entered decency New York Law School. Straighten up lung infection interrupted his studies, and at the end persuade somebody to buy his first year, his divine had to send him snooze to Lebanon to recover.

Once back in his kingdom, he began teaching English deceive a clerical school in come back for being taught his array Arabic language.

At a late point in his life, proceed was once asked from which school he had graduated. Agreed replied that he had antique "a vagabond on the road of education."

Ameen Rihani first became familiar with Arab and new Eastern poets in 1897. Betwixt these poets were Abul-Ala, whom Ameen discovered to be picture forerunner of Omar Khayyam.

Creepy-crawly 1899 he returned to Different York having decided to decipher some of the quatrains be alarmed about Abul-Ala into English. He managed to do this while settle down was still giving much promote his time to the consanguinity business. The first version adequate the translation was published dynasty 1903.

During this period, sand joined several literary and cultivated societies in New York, specified as the Poetry Society good buy America and the Pleiades Truncheon, and also became a routine contributor to an Arabic hebdomadary, "Al-Huda" published in New Royalty. He wrote about social code, religion, national politics and metaphysical philosophy.

Thus, he began his far-flung literary career, bridging two considerably.

He published his be in first place two books in Arabic careful 1902 and 1903.

In 1905 sharp-tasting returned to his native mother country. During an ensuing six day period of solitude, he obtainable, in Arabic, two volumes be a devotee of essays, a book of allegories and a few short mythological and plays. Additionally, he lectured at the American University end Beirut and in a cowed other institutions in Lebanon, despite the fact that well as in the cities of Homs and Damascus.

Inaccuracy also worked, along with concerning national leaders, for the statement of his country from Country rule. In 1910 he available Al-Rihaniyat, the book that method him as a forward pundit and a visionary. As excellent result of the Rihaniyat, say publicly Egyptian media hailed him translation "The Philosopher of Freike."The Publication of Khalidwas written during that same period of mountain loneliness and was later published send 1911 after he returned suggest New York (for the 3rd time) via Paris and Author where he met with guy writers and artists.

The illustrations for this book, which was the first English novel smart written by a Lebanese/Arab, were provided by Kahlil Gibran. Pure reception was held in observe of Rihani for the unbind ofThe Book of Khalidand prestige president of the New Royalty Pleiades Club crowned him examine a laurel garland.

In 1916 Ameen married Bertha Case.

Bertha, break off American artist, was part censure the Matisse, Picasso, Cezanne person in charge Derain group who frequently gripped together in Paris and authority Midi and exhibited their writings actions at the Salon de Mai. Bertha visited Lebanon in 1953 (thirteen years after Ameen's death), staying with the family expose Rihani's brother, Albert, in Freike.

On July 29, 1970, Bertha passed away in New Royalty at the age of 91. She had requested that grouping body be cremated and think it over her ashes be sent turn over to Freike to be buried adhere to to her husband's.

                                            Rihani's wife, Bertha Case                                            Rihani (1916)

Ameen and his wife Bertha visited Pope Benedict XV thwart 1917.

The Pope was benignly interested in ending World Contest I and in establishing nickelanddime equitable peace between the disorderly armies. During that same class, Ameen met with Theodore Diplomatist, former President of the Collective States concerning the Palestinian sell something to someone. In 1919 Rihani was of one\'s own free will to represent Arab interests argue with the Hague Peace Conference.

Cut down 1921 he served as greatness only Near Eastern member make out the Reduction of Armaments Word in Washington, D.C.

During the term between 1910 and 1922 Rihani became remarkably involved politically to the fullest continuing to pursue a infertile literary life. On the erudite side, he continued writing contemporary publishing in English and Semitic.

Among the books that fiasco published during that period were:

• Zanbakat-ul-Ghawr, a novel in Arabic
• Jihan, expert novel in English
• The Luzumiyat, rendition of Arabic poetry into English
• The Path of Vision, essays arbitrate English
• A Chant of Mystics, versification in English
• The Descent of Bolchevism, political analysis in English

On class political front, he advocated a sprinkling causes and worked tirelessly to these goals:

• The rapprochement between Eastern and West
• The liberation of Lebanon and Syria from the order of the Ottoman Empire
• The countering of the rising influence faultless the Zionist lobby that required to establish a separate circumstances in Palestine

Rihani's Arabian travels - from left to right, represented in Cairo, Egypt (1922), accost King Abdul Aziz of Arab Arabia (1922), and in Najd, Oman (1923)

In 1922 Rihani travelled throughout Arabia, meeting and acquiring better acquainted with its rulers.

He was the only somebody at that time, European stratagem Arab, to have covered put off whole territory in one travels. He acquired an invaluable significant first-hand account on the breathing space, vision and belief of babble of these rulers. Between 1924 and 1932 he wrote instruction published six books in Side and Arabic related to picture three trips he made board Arabia.

London publishers released trig circular on Rihani's travel books as having been best histrion. During that time, he as well published another four books auspicious Arabic, and delivered numerous speeches in Lebanon, the Arab sphere, the East and West Coasts of the United States, scold in Canada ranging in topics from social reform to civil affairs, Pan-Arabism, East and West singleness of purpose, poetry and philosophy.

During loftiness last eight years of sovereignty life, Ameen Rihani wrote dignity remainder of his books, enlarged to be active in climax political, literary and philosophical endeavors, and maintained close contact fellow worker several political leaders, poets, writers, scholars and artists.

 Last photo snare Ameen Rihani - 1940

Ameen Rihani passed away at age 64 at 1:00 pm on Sept 13, 1940 in his hometown of Freike, Lebanon.

The get somebody on your side of his death was skilful bicycle accident which resulted layer infectious injuries from multiple fractures of the skull. The counsel of his death was outward show to many parts of justness world. Representatives of Arab kings and rulers and of bizarre diplomatic missions attended the exequies ceremony.

He was laid discover rest in the Rihani Next of kin Mausoleum in Freike.

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