Anwar Shaul | |
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אנואר שאול أنور شاؤول | |
Born | 1904 |
Died | 1984 | (aged 79–80)
Nationality | Israeli |
Occupations |
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Years active | 1924–1984 |
Anwar Shaul ( Hebrew: אנואר שאול; Arabic: أنور شاؤول; 1904–1984) was an Iraqi-Israeli journalist, publisher, author, translator, and poet.
Shaul was born in Hillah to a family of Iraqi Jews. He was of Mizrahi descent on his father's side (Iraqi-Jewish) and of second-generation Ashkenazi descent on his mother's side ( Austrian-Jewish). [1] [2] He originally trained as a lawyer at the Baghdad Law College, graduating in 1931. [3] [4]
Shaul served as editor of the Iraqi Zionist journal Al-Miṣbāḥ (אל-מצבאח; المصباح) from 1924 to 1925. [5] In his contributions to the publication, he wrote under the pseudonym "Ibn al-Samaw'al" in an allusion to the 6th-century Arabian-Jewish poet Samaw'al ibn 'Adiya. [6]
From 1929 to 1938, Shaul founded and worked as an editor for Al-Hassid (الحاصد lit. 'The Reaper'), a weekly literary magazine. It featured significant political commentary; mixing harsh criticism of European fascism and advocacy for both Iraqi nationalism and complete political independence from the British Empire. [7] [8] [9] Under his editorial leadership, Al-Hassid became the foremost weekly magazine in Baghdad. [10]
In addition to his publication of periodicals, Shaul published a number of longer works, including memoirs, translations of Western literature into Arabic, as well as anthologies of short stories and Arabic poetry. [11]
In 1971, Shaul, who had long been resistant to emigrating despite intensive state-sponsored antisemitism in Iraq, reluctantly made aliyah. He continued to live in Israel until his death in 1984. [12]