Khalida Said (Arabic: خاليدة سعيد; alternate spellings Khalida Saeed, Khalida Sa'id) is a Syrian-origin author and literary critic.[1] She has taught and published extensively on Arabic literature and culture since 1957.[2]

Early life and background

Said was born in Latakia, Syria.[3] She studied arts, including apprenticing with the well-known artist Mahmoud Jalal.[3]

She joined the Teachers’ Training Institute in Damascus[3] and then went on to further studies of Arabic literature in Damascus followed by the Lebanese University in Beirut. She completed her PhD in Arabic literature at the Sorbonne.[3]

Said met the writer Adonis, who she went on to marry, during her time at Teachers College. Adonis has said in an interview that he "never publish[ed] anything without her looking at it; he described their marriage as a "deep intellectual friendship."[4]

Khalida joined the Syrian Social Nationalist Party (SSNP) and was imprisoned because of her party activities.[4]

Professional achievements

She moved to Beirut with Adonis in late 1956.[3] Starting the following year, she published in the historic magazine Shi'r, initially under the pen name Khuzama Sabri and later under her own name.[3] Topics of early interest for Said included the poetry of Nazik Al-Mala'ika, Fadwan Tuqan, Mohammad al-Maghut, Ounsi El Hage, and others.[3] During this period she also taught in several Lebanese high schools and Lebanese University.[2]

Among her lasting contributions to the field of Arab cultural studies was an encyclopedic work on "The Arab Theater Movement in Lebanon, Experiments and Horizons, 1960–1975."[3][5] The literary magazine Al Jadid reports that it is "one of the most important—and perhaps the most important—reference book on the Lebanese theater movement."[5]

In addition to original works, she has also published various translations.[2]

The literary magazine Banipal dedicated an issue to Said in 2022. It included articles about her by Abdo Wazen, Akl Awit, and others.[6]

Publications

  • al-Bahth ‘An al-Juthour (The Quest for Roots), Beirut: Sh‘ir Magazine Press, 1960.[3]
  • Al-Harakat al-Masrahiyya fi Lubnan, Tajarab wa Afaq, 1960-1975 (The Arab Theater Movement in Lebanon, Experiments and Horizons, 1960–1975). Beirut: Theater Committee of Baalbek International Festivals, 1999.[5]
  • Yutubiya al-Madina al-Muthaqqafa (Utopia of the Cultured City)

See also

References

  1. ↑ "East meets West". dw.com. 28 August 2011. Retrieved 2023-09-03.
  2. 1 2 3 "'Utopia of Cultured City 2'…New Book by Khalida Said". english.aawsat.com. Retrieved 2023-09-03.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "Banipal (UK) Magazine of Modern Arab Literature - Contributors - Khalida Said". www.banipal.co.uk. Retrieved 2023-09-03.
  4. 1 2 Fakhreddine, Huda (July 1, 2022). "I Have Been Born Three Times: An Interview With Adonis, Part Two". Michigan Quarterly Review. Retrieved 2023-09-03.
  5. 1 2 3 Saeed, Ahmoud (Fall 2000). "Khalida Said Documents Golden Period of Lebanese Theater". Al Jadid. 6 (33).
  6. ↑ "Banipal 74 - Celebrating Khalida Said and Modern Arabic Poetry (Summer 2022)". www.banipal.co.uk. Retrieved 2023-09-03.
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