Obituary: Abd Al-salam Al-ujaili
Syrian master of humane short stories.
Abd al-Salam al-Ujaili, who has died in his late 80s, was one of the Arab world's most accomplished short-story writers. Collections of his translated work have been published in France and Spain, though only a few in English.
Ujaili was born in the city of al-Raqqa, in northern Syria, to a family that was still semi-nomadic. His education in Aleppo was interrupted by illness and he spent four years at home, becoming a voracious reader of Arabic literature, history and religion. When he resumed his schooling, he amazed everyone by his ability to recite poetry from memory.
He started writing in his early teens - poetry and a play (though he had never been to the theatre) - and his first publication was a story which he sent off to the Egyptian magazine, al-Risala, in 1936. During the second world war, he studied medicine at Damascus University, while writing anonymously for Syrian and Arab literary magazines. His identity was only disclosed when one publication won a prize.
After qualifying, he based his life in al-Raqqa. He was elected to the Syrian national assembly in 1948 and volunteered to fight for the defence of Palestine. Though he did not care for political or military life, he was, for six months in 1962, concurrently minister of culture, information and foreign affairs.
He preferred to spend time practising medicine in the Euphrates valley of eastern Syria, often refusing to charge poorer patients, occasionally visiting Aleppo or Damascus to give lectures. His first volume of short stories was published in 1948; a poetry collection followed in 1951. In the next 40 years, he published 20 volumes of short stories, 10 of essays and travel writing, and two novels.
Ujaili's tales illustrate the dilemmas of modern life. He drew on his experiences as a doctor for his plots, and many are located in the Euphrates valley. Earlier stories read as if they should be read aloud; later stories touch on how bureaucracy and the police state affect ordinary people. They all have a profound humanity and are written in simple, but forceful Arabic.
He married in 1958 and had four children. The death of his eldest son in a road accident was followed by divorce.
· Abd al-Salam al-Ujaili, writer, born 1918; died April 5 2006
Ujaili was born in the city of al-Raqqa, in northern Syria, to a family that was still semi-nomadic. His education in Aleppo was interrupted by illness and he spent four years at home, becoming a voracious reader of Arabic literature, history and religion. When he resumed his schooling, he amazed everyone by his ability to recite poetry from memory.
He started writing in his early teens - poetry and a play (though he had never been to the theatre) - and his first publication was a story which he sent off to the Egyptian magazine, al-Risala, in 1936. During the second world war, he studied medicine at Damascus University, while writing anonymously for Syrian and Arab literary magazines. His identity was only disclosed when one publication won a prize.
After qualifying, he based his life in al-Raqqa. He was elected to the Syrian national assembly in 1948 and volunteered to fight for the defence of Palestine. Though he did not care for political or military life, he was, for six months in 1962, concurrently minister of culture, information and foreign affairs.
He preferred to spend time practising medicine in the Euphrates valley of eastern Syria, often refusing to charge poorer patients, occasionally visiting Aleppo or Damascus to give lectures. His first volume of short stories was published in 1948; a poetry collection followed in 1951. In the next 40 years, he published 20 volumes of short stories, 10 of essays and travel writing, and two novels.
Ujaili's tales illustrate the dilemmas of modern life. He drew on his experiences as a doctor for his plots, and many are located in the Euphrates valley. Earlier stories read as if they should be read aloud; later stories touch on how bureaucracy and the police state affect ordinary people. They all have a profound humanity and are written in simple, but forceful Arabic.
He married in 1958 and had four children. The death of his eldest son in a road accident was followed by divorce.
· Abd al-Salam al-Ujaili, writer, born 1918; died April 5 2006
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