Joumana Haddad

Joumana Haddad (2007)

Joumana Haddad on the set of "What's going on?" (2009)

Joumana Haddad ( Arabic جمانة حداد, DMG Ǧumāna Ḥaddād ; * December 6, 1970 in Beirut ) is a Lebanese poet, journalist and translator who also works as a performer and visual artist. She was selected for her cultural and social activism by “Arabian Business Magazin” in 2014, 2015 and 2016 as one of the 100 most powerful women in the Arab world (position 36 in 2016).

Career

In 1997 she began to work for the Lebanese daily newspaper »An-Nahar«, the feature section of which she was responsible for as editor . Two years earlier she had published her first volume of poetry, which has so far been followed by four more volumes. Haddad's works have been translated into several languages, including English, French, Spanish, Italian, and Polish. The collections "So that I can leave" (2006) and "Liliths Wiederkehr" (2008) are available in German.

In 2006, the author published an interview volume for which she spoke to prominent writers such as Umberto Eco , Paul Auster , José Saramago , Peter Handke , Elfriede Jelinek , Paulo Coelho , Wole Soyinka and Nadine Gordimer . For her interview with Mario Vargas Llosa she was awarded the Arab Press Prize in Dubai. In 2008 her controversial publication project »Jasad« began - a quarterly magazine devoted to the body. As editor-in-chief, she is also trying to revive the tradition of erotic literature in Arab countries. Haddad translated numerous works of international literature into Arabic and translated Arabic poetry into Romance languages, including a collection of modern Lebanese poetry that appeared in Spain. She also works for the Arabic literary prize IPAF, which was founded on the basis of the Booker Prize and is awarded in Abu Dhabi. Haddad lives in Beirut. In July 2013 she was appointed honorary ambassador for culture and human rights for the city of Naples in the Mediterranean region.

language

The language of Haddad moves in the tradition of modern Arabic poetry. The last lines of the poem “I am a woman” read: “The key to prison may be their language, / but their language is wrapped around the fingers of my desire, / and they will never command my desire. // I am a woman. / They mean / they have my freedom / and so I let them be mine, / and I happen. ” In the story “ Living it up (and down) in Beirut ” , the war-torn reality of the Lebanese capital is first pushed into Footnotes in the text and finally suffocates several romances in the beginning, which various comments comment almost angrily: »Warning: Again, this is not a love story. Sometimes she may look like one, but it's not. ” The story, written in English, is Haddad's own contribution to the anthology she edited,“ Madinah ”(2008), which brings together city histories by various contemporary authors from the Middle East .

Works

Some of Haddad's books

Books in German

How I killed Scheherazade . Hans Schiler Verlag, Berlin 2010, ISBN 978-3-89930-307-0
Lilith's return . Hans Schiler Publishing House , Berlin 2008
So that I can leave . Lisan, Basel 2006

Books in Arabic

Time for a dream, poetry , (1995)
Invitation to a secret feast, poetry , (2008)
Two hands to the abyss, poetry , (2000)
I did not sin enough, selected poems , (2003)
Lilith's Return, poetry , (2004)
The panther hidden at the base of her shoulders, selected poems , (2006)
In the company of the fire thieves, Conversations with international writers , (2006)
Death will come and it will have your eyes, Anthology of 150 poets who committed suicide , (2007)
Bad habits, selected poems , (2007)
Mirrors of the passers by, poetry , (2008)

Books in English

Invitation to a Secret Feast, 2008, Tupelo Press , Vermont, USA.
Madinah, city stories from the Middle East, 2008, "Comma Press", Manchester, UK.
I Killed Scheherazade, 2010, “Saqi Books”, London, UK. The book has been translated into 13 languages.
Superman is an Arab, 2012, Westbourne Press, London, UK. The book has been translated into 6 languages.

Books in other languages

Allí donde el río se incendia, 2005, Ediciones De Aquí , Málaga, España / 2006, Fundación Editorial El Perro y la Rana , Caracas, Venezuela / 2007, Editorial Praxis , Mexico, Mexico / 2007.
Cuando me hice fruta, 2006, Monte Ávila Editores , Caracas, Venezuela.
El retorno de Lilith, 2007, Editorial Practice , Mexico, Mexico / 2010, Diputacion Provincial de Málaga, Mar Remoto , Spain.
Le retour de Lilith, 2007, Editions L'Inventaire , Paris, France.
Adrenalina, 2009, "Edizioni del Leone", Venice, Italy.
Il ritorno di Lilith, 2010, "Edizioni l'Asino d'Oro", Rome, Italy.
Lilits återkomst, 2010, Bokförlaget Tranan , Stockholm, Sweden.
Espejos de las fugaces, 2010, "Vaso Roto ediciones", Mexico.
Miroirs des passantes dans le songe, 2010, “Al Dante”, Paris, France.
J'ai tué Shéhérazade. Confessions d'une femme arabe en colère (traduction), Arles, Actes-Sud, 2010