User:Julijones1/Ali Salem

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Ali Salem
A meeting in Cairo between Salem and representative of Mothers and Women for Peace from Israel, 1998
A meeting in Cairo between Salem and representative of Mothers and Women for Peace from Israel, 1998
Born(1936-02-24)24 February 1936
Cairo, Egypt
Died(2015-09-22)22 September 2015 age 79
Mohandessin, Egypt
NationalityEgyptian
Occupation(s)Playwright, Author
Known forOpposition to Islamic Extremism
AwardsCivil Courage Prize (2008)
This page is about the Egyptian writer. For the archer, see Ali Ahmed (archer).

Ali Salem, also transliterated Ali Salim, (Arabic: على سالم, IPA: [ˈʕæli ˈsæːlem]; 24 February 1936 – 22 September 2015) was an Egyptian playwright, author, and political commentator[1] he was best known for controversially endorsing cooperation with Israel.[2] The Los Angeles Times once described him as "a big, loud man known for his satiric wit".[2][3]

Early Life[edit]

Ali Salem was born in the Damietta Governorate of Egypt in 1936. The oldest of eight, his mother was housewife and his father was a policeman[4][5]. One of his brothers died fighting in the 1945 battle over British Palestine at the age of twelve. Just nine years later, in 1957, he lost his father while studying at a university for his bachelors degree[6]. Being the oldest among his siblings, Salem dropped out of school and returned back home in order to support his young brothers and mother.[7][5][8] During this time, he worked in public transport around Damietta where his family lived[8].

Career[edit]

Salem’s first satirical theater piece premiered when he was just 24. He then proceeded to write 25 more plays over his lifetime[9]. He also produced 15 collections of satirical stories, as well as political articles in Asharq al-Awsat and other Egyptian dailies. From the premiere of his first play in 1965, he wrote 25 plays and 15 books.[10][8] One of the best known, The School of Troublemakers, debuted in 1971 and featured a rowdy class of children transformed by a kind teacher.[2] His plays The Phantom of Heliopolis, The Comedy of Oedipus, The Man Who Fooled the Angels, and The Buffet have also become "classics of the Egyptian theater".[10] Salem's plays often include allegorical critiques of Egyptian politics with a strong vein of humor and satire.[10]

In 1994, he wrote a book entitled My Drive to Israel about a trip he took to the country to satisfy his curiosity about it following the signing of the Oslo Accords.[11] He later claimed that the trip was not "a love trip, but a serious attempt to get rid of hate. Hatred prevents us from knowing reality as it is".[2] He spent 23 nights in Israel and concluded that "real co-operation" between the two nations should be possible.[11] Though the book sold more than 60,000 copies, a bestseller by Egyptian standards, it provoked controversy, and Salem was subsequently ostracized from the Egyptian intellectual community and expelled from its Writer's Syndicate as a result of his "propaganda."[2] He did not have a play or movie script produced in Egypt after the book's publication,[11][12] though he continued to contribute columns to foreign media such as the London-based Al Hayat.[2] Salem's memoir was later adapted by Ari Roth into the play Ali Salem Drives to Israel, which had its world premiere in the US in 2005.[13][14]

Controversy over his actions did not stop there, Salem was renowned for being a very bold and controversial speaker.[15]After the attacks at the World Trade Center on September 11th, 2001, Salem spoke publicly about starting a "kindergarten for extremists" in which he was quoted as saying; "Kids, don’t believe that others worship the same god as we do they are infidels. The task for which I am preparing you is to purge the world of them. Dear children, hate music. Hate all manner of artistic, literary, or scientific endeavor. Hate tenderness. Hate reason and intellect. Hate your families. Hate yourselves. Hate your teachers. Hate me. Hate others—all others. Hate this school. Hate life, and everything in it. Go on, get to class.” He shared his beliefs about different cultures through his writing.[16]

Salem one of the supporters of peace between Arabs and Israel, so he agreed to assist he late president of Egypt Anwar Sadat because he played a crucial role in establishing peaceful relations between one another in 1977. Because of wanting the peace between Arabs and Israel; Egyptians and Arabs stood against him, but he stood up with his point.[17]

In 2008, he won the Train Foundation's $50,000 Civil Courage Prize in recognition of his opposition to radical Islam and his support of cooperation with Israel.[12] He also received an honorary doctorate from Israel's Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in 2005.[10]

Ali Salem died because of a heart attack in Cairo on September 22nd, 2015[18]. For his final words, he was quoted as saying "What else can they do? They can't catch Israel, they can't catch America, but they can catch Ali Salem"[19]. Many Arab writers mourned his death. Mamoun Fandy, a famous Arab writer said "Ali Salem is the greatest writer, and he was bigger than what people imagined."[20]

Information about Salem's shows[edit]

Ali Salem wrote his first play “Welad Al-afaryt Al-zrqa” in 1965.[21] He became famous after writing “Madrsat Almoshagben” in 1980. In short, this play was about students who treated teachers poorly. Even though some Egyptian people enjoyed this play the most out of any of Ali's plays, he also received much criticism due to this play affecting students' behaviors in class.[22]

Here is a list of Ali Salem's most popular plays:[23]

Play Name Publisher Published date
Al-nas Fe Alsama Althamena Cairo: Egyptain Ministry of Culture 1966
Alrajor Al-lathe Dahek Ala Al-malaika Cairo: Dar Arab writer 1968
Welad Al-afaryt Al-zrqa Cairo: Egyptian General Authority for authoring and publishing 1971
Al-molok Ydkolon Algrarya Cairo: Rosalyousef 1971
Awladana Fe London Cairo: Dar Al-shab 1975
Masrhyat Ali Salem Cairo: Madbouly Library 1976
Madrsat Almoshagben Cairo: Madbouly Library 1989-1980
Daheka Mn Shedat Alhozon Cairo: Dar Al-hilal 1982
Alkelab Weslat Almatar Cairo: Dar al-hilal 1984
Komedia Aw Theb Wa Ant Gtlt Alwahsh Cairo: Madbouly Library 1986
Khashb Al-ward Cairo: Dar Al-hilal 1987
Albetrol Tela Fe Betna Cairo: Egyptian General Book Authority 1991
Dalel Almara Al-thakia Cairo: Akhbar Al-yom 1997
Baklryos Fe Hokom Al-shoob Abu Dhabi: Madark 2010

Awards[edit]

  • Civil Courage Prize received in 2008 by the Train Foundation[12][24]
  • Honorary Doctorate by the Ben-Gurion University of the Negev[12]

Notable Works[edit]

  • The Comedy of Oedipus[12]
  • The Phantom of Heliopolis [12]
  • School of Troublemakers[12]
  • My Drive to Israel[12]
  • The Man Who Fooled the Angels[10]
  • The Buffet[10]
  • Oghneya Ala El Mamar[8]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Michael Slackman (9 March 2005). "Egypt's Metamorphosis: One Step Down the Open Road". The New York Times. Retrieved 28 May 2011. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  2. ^ a b c d e f Nadia Abou El-Magd (10 November 2002). "Egyptian Writer Pays High Price for Visit to Israel". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 28 May 2011. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  3. ^ "Google Translate". translate.google.com. Retrieved 2016-10-07.
  4. ^ "علي سالم .. المشاغب وكاتب مدرسة المشاغبين » صحيفة مكة الالكترونية". www.makkahnews.net. Retrieved 2016-11-06.
  5. ^ a b Arabic, B. B. C. "وفاة الكاتب المصري علي سالم، صاحب "مدرسة المشاغبين" والدعوة المثيرة للجدل للتطبيع مع إسرائيل". BBC Arabic. Retrieved 2016-10-07.
  6. ^ "علي سالم". Goodreads. Retrieved 2016-11-06.
  7. ^ "مؤلفات علي سالم 2". Goodreads. Retrieved 2016-10-07.
  8. ^ a b c d Arabic, B. B. C. "وفاة الكاتب المصري علي سالم، صاحب "مدرسة المشاغبين" والدعوة المثيرة للجدل للتطبيع مع إسرائيل". BBC Arabic. Retrieved 2016-10-07.
  9. ^ "Death of Egyptian author who drove across Israel leaves void in Israeli-Egyptian relations". Al-Monitor. 2015-09-30. Retrieved 2016-10-08.
  10. ^ a b c d e f "2008 Civil Courage Prize Honoree: Ali Salem of Egypt". Civil Courage Prize. 2008. Retrieved 28 May 2011.
  11. ^ a b c Christian Fraser (12 October 2009). "Egyptians nervous of Israeli culture". BBC News. Retrieved 28 May 2011.
  12. ^ a b c d e f g h "Egypt author Ali Salem receives courage award". Reuters. 18 November 2008. Retrieved 28 May 2011.
  13. ^ Barry Barriere (21 January 2005). "Forecast: Fun". The Washington Post. Retrieved 28 May 2011. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  14. ^ "Association for Jewish Theatre members announce 2004-05 Season". jewish-theatre.com. Retrieved 28 May 2011.
  15. ^ "Ali Salem's Journey". The New Yorker. 2015-09-28. Retrieved 2016-11-06.
  16. ^ "علي سالم.. هنا يرقد رجل يحب الحياة (بروفايل) | المصري اليوم". www.almasryalyoum.com (in Arabic). Retrieved 2016-10-07.
  17. ^ "Google Translate". translate.google.com. Retrieved 2016-10-07.
  18. ^ "Famous playwright Ali Salem dies at 79 - Egypt Independent". egyptindependent.com. Retrieved 23 September 2015.
  19. ^ "Ali Salem's Journey". The New Yorker. 2015-09-28. Retrieved 2016-10-07.
  20. ^ "قالوا في رحيل صاحب الضحكة والفكرة علي سالم". aawsat.com. Retrieved 2016-11-03.
  21. ^ "وفاة مؤلف مسرحية مدرسة المشاغبين الكاتب المصري علي سالم عن 79 عاما | أخبار مصر". www.egynews.net. Retrieved 2016-11-08.
  22. ^ "علي سالم .. المشاغب وكاتب مدرسة المشاغبين » صحيفة مكة الالكترونية". www.makkahnews.net. Retrieved 2016-11-06.
  23. ^ "General Search - ARUC". aruc.org. Retrieved 2016-11-07.
  24. ^ "Ali Salem".

Articles[edit]

  • Hugi, Jacky. "Death of Egyptian author who drove across Israel leaves void in Israeli-Egyptian relations", Al-Monitor on-line magazine; 30 Sept. 2015.
  • Mikics, David. "The Muslim World's Intellectual Refuseniks Offer Enlightened Views on Islam and Israel", TabletMag.com on-line magazine; 3 Dec. 2013.

External links[edit]


Category:1936 births Category:2015 deaths Category:Egyptian dramatists and playwrights Category:Egyptian male writers Category:Male dramatists and playwrights Category:20th-century dramatists and playwrights Category:21st-century dramatists and playwrights Category:People from Cairo

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