Wikipedia

Joumana Haddad

Joumana Haddad (Arabic: جمانة حداد; née Salloum; born December 6, 1970, in Beirut) is a Lebanese author, public speaker, journalist and human rights activist.[1] She has been selected as one of the world’s 100 most powerful Arab women by Arabian Business Magazine for her cultural and social activism.[2] In 2021, she was on Apolitical's list of 100 most influential people in Gender Policy.[3] She is founder of Jasad, a quarterly Arabic-language magazine specialized in the arts and literature of the body (2009–2011). Haddad launched a new TV show in November 2018 on Alhurra highlighting the topics of free expression and critical thinking.[4] In September 2019, she founded a youth centered NGO in Beirut called the Joumana Haddad Freedoms Center.[5] In February 2020, in partnership with the Institut Français in Lebanon, she launched the first International Feminisms Festival in the Middle East with a group of local and international co-organizers.[6][7]

Joumana Haddad
جمانة حداد
Joumana Haddad in Beirut, 2018
Born (1970-12-06) December 6, 1970 (age 54)
NationalityLebanese
Occupations
  • Journalist
  • author
  • public speaker
  • human rights activist
Awards
  • Social Economic Award (2018)
  • Career Poetry Prize (2014)
  • Cutuli Prize (2012)
  • Rodolfo Gentili Prize (2010)
  • Blue Metropolis Al Majidi Ibn Dhaher Arab Literary Prize (2010)

Career

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Joumana Haddad at one of her events Beirut 2018

Joumana Haddad started working at An-Nahar newspaper in 1997, serving as the cultural editor 2005-2017.

In the course of her career as a cultural journalist she has interviewed many international authors, such as Umberto Eco, Paul Auster, Jose Saramago, Peter Handke, Elfriede Jelinek and others.

Between 2007 and 2011, she was the administrator of the International Prize for Arabic Fiction.

In 2009, she founded her magazine, Jasad, specialized in the culture and politics of the body in the Arab world.

Between 2012 and 2016, she taught creative writing and Arabic modern poetry at the Lebanese American University in Beirut.

In 2018 she started hosting a new TV show on Alhurra highlighting the topics of free expression and critical thinking.[4]

She also has a weekly radio podcast on Radio Monte Carlo International, and she writes regularly for several international newspapers and magazines.

Haddad speaks seven languages, and has published 15 books so far. Most of her works of fiction, non-fiction, theater and poetry have been translated into numerous languages.

Awards and honors

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In 2006, Joumana Haddad received the Arab Press Prize.

In October 2009, she was chosen as one of the 39 most interesting Arab writers under 39.[8]

In November 2009, she won the International Prize North South for poetry, of the Pescarabruzzo Foundation in Italy.[9] The winner of the novel prize was Austrian writer Peter Handke.

In February 2010, she won the Blue Metropolis Al Majidi Ibn Dhaher Arab Literary Prize.[10]

In August 2010, she received the Rodolfo Gentili Prize in Porto Recanati, Italy.[11]

In November 2012, she received the Cutuli Prize for journalism in Catania, Italy.[12]

In July 2013, she was appointed honorary ambassador for culture and human rights for the city of Naples in the Mediterranean by the mayor of Naples Luigi de Magistris.[13]

In February 2014, she was awarded the "Career Poetry Prize" by the Archicultura Foundation in Acqui Terme, Italy.[14]

In December 2018, Haddad won the Social Economic Award for the category of Social Media Influencer.[15]

Other ventures

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Haddad's magazine Jasad was the feature of a 2013 film by Amanda Homsi-Ottosson, Jasad & The Queen of Contradictions, a Women Make Movies release.[16]

In 2009, Haddad herself co-wrote and acted in a movie by Lebanese filmmaker Jocelyne Saab ("What's going on?").[17]

Haddad ran for the Lebanese parliamentary elections on May 6, 2018. After she was announced a winner on the night of the elections by local TV news channels,[18] the authorities declared that she had actually lost on the morning of the following day, so there was a big demonstration [19] in front of the Ministry of Interior on the afternoon of May 7 to protest the results and ask for a recount.[20] Haddad went on to submit an appeal to the Constitutional Council on June 7 with the prominent lawyer Melhem Khalaf,[21] but her case was supported by only three out of the ten members of the Council, so her appeal for a recount was revoked.[22]

Haddad was the first woman to edit the cultural pages of An-Nahar and to publish a magazine that discusses controversial and taboo topics in the middle east such as virginity, polygamy, violence against women and the LGBTQ community, in Arabic and in a conservative society. She was also the first Arab woman to be openly atheist. She received a lot of hate, rape and death threats.[23]

Bibliography

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Selection of books by Joumana Haddad

Original books in Arabic

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  • Da'awa ila asha'a serri, poetry, (1998)
  • Two hands to the abyss, poetry, (2000)
  • I did not sin enough, selected poems, (2003)
  • Awdat Lilit, 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)
  • Kitab el Jeem, poetry, (2012)[24]
  • Cages, theater, (2014)
  • Bint El Khyatta, novel, (2018) [25]

Original books in English

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  • Madinah, city stories from the Middle East, anthology, 2008, "Comma Press", Manchester, UK.[26]
  • I Killed Scheherazade, Essay, 2010, "Saqi Books", London, UK.[27] The book has been translated to French, Italian, Spanish, Danish, Portuguese, German, Dutch, Croatian, Norwegian, Romanian and Arabic.[28]
  • Superman is an Arab, Essay, 2012, "Westbourne Press", London, UK.[29] The book has been translated to French, Italian, Spanish, Croatian and Arabic.
  • The Third Sex, Essay, 2015, "Nawfal", Beirut, Lebanon.
  • The Book of Queens, novel, 2022, Interlink Books, Northampton, Massachusetts.

Original books in Italian

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  • Le sette vite di Luca, Children's literature, 2011, Mondadori Junior, Milan, Italy.[30]

Original books in Spanish

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  • Allí donde el río se incendia, Antología poética, 2005, Ediciones De Aquí, Málaga, Espana, 2006, Fundación Editorial El Perro y la Rana, Caracas, Venezuela.

Original books in French

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  • Le temps d'un rêve, Poésie, (1995)
  • Les amants ne devraient porter que des mocassins, littérature érotique, 2010, Editions Humus.[31]

Selection of translations into other languages

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  • Damit ich abreisen kann, 2005, Lisan Verlag, Basel, Switzerland.
  • Cuando me hice fruta, 2006, Monte Ávila Editores, Caracas, Venezuela.
  • El retorno de Lilith, 2007, Editorial Praxis, Mexico, Mexico/ 2010, Diputacion Provincial de Malaga, Mar Remoto, Spain.[32]
  • Le retour de Lilith, 2007, Editions L’Inventaire, Paris, France/ 2011, Editions Actes Sud, Paris, France.
  • Invitation to a Secret Feast, poetry, 2008, Tupelo Press, Vermont, USA.
  • Liliths Wiederkehr, 2008, Verlag Hans Schiler, Berlin, Germany.
  • Adrenalina, 2009, "Edizioni del Leone", Venice, Italy.[33]
  • Il ritorno di Lilith, 2010, "Edizioni l'Asino d'Oro", Rome, Italy.[34]
  • Lilits återkomst, 2010, Bokförlaget Tranan, Stockholm, Sweden.[35]
  • Espejos de las fugaces, 2010, "Vaso Roto ediciones", Mexico.[36]
  • Miroirs des passantes dans le songe, 2010, « Al Dante », Paris, France.[37]
  • Las siete vidas de Luca, Literatura infantil, 2011, Vaso Roto, México, México.[38]
  • Los amantes deberían llevar solo mocasines, Literatura erótica, 2011, Vaso Roto, México, México.[39]
  • Am ucis-o pe Seherezada, Philobia, 2012, Bucharest, Romania

Personal life

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Joumana was born in Beirut in 1970 into a conservative Christian family. She is of Armenian extraction from her maternal grandmother's side, and Syriac Catholic from her maternal grandfather's side [40] In 1975 the civil war started. She was surrounded by war and fear at a very young age.[41] At 20, she married her first husband and gave birth to her first son one year later. She divorced her first husband and later in her life got married again to her second husband who was a poet. They also got divorced, after 10 years. Haddad lives in Beirut and has two sons.[23]

Opinions

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Haddad is an atheist and a critic of organised religion.[42][43][44][45][46]

She is a feminist. In an interview she states that feminism is not only a woman's fight, but that everyone should fight for equality and a more dignified world for all human beings.[47] She believes that not only some men are holding back women but also women themselves can sometimes be the biggest obstacle to achieve equality because of internalized misogyny and the way they have been brainwashed to have no self confidence. She is an activist for equality, LGBTQ+ rights, individual freedoms and secularism.[48][49]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "contributor". banipal.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2008-05-07. Retrieved 2015-08-01.
  2. ^ "The World's Most Influential Arab Women". ArabianBusiness.com.
  3. ^ "Apolitical's 100 Most Influential People in Gender Policy". apolitical.co.
  4. ^ a b Tilda ABOU RIZK avec web (2020-07-03). "L'Orient-Le Jour". L'Orient-Le Jour (in French). Retrieved 2020-07-03.
  5. ^ https://joumanahaddadfreedoms.org. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  6. ^ "Lebanon Just Launched First International Feminist Festival in the Middle East". the961.com. 29 February 2020.
  7. ^ "International Feminisms Festival".
  8. ^ "澳门威尼斯人|澳门威尼斯人网上娱乐|澳门威尼斯人娛乐场". Archived from the original on 2018-08-05. Retrieved 2019-04-29.
  9. ^ "Fondazione Pescarabruzzo". fondazionepescarabruzzo.it. Retrieved 2015-08-01.
  10. ^ "Home". Blue Metropolis. Retrieved 2015-08-01.
  11. ^ "ix premio Rodolfo gentili da". ning.com. Retrieved 2015-08-01.[permanent dead link‍]
  12. ^ "Alla poetessa Joumana Haddad il Premio Maria Grazia Cutuli". Live Sicilia. 15 November 2012. Archived from the original on 2015-01-28. Retrieved 2015-08-01.
  13. ^ "La scrittrice Joumana Haddad ambasciatrice onoraria di Napoli - Napoli - Repubblica.it". Napoli-La Repubblica. 12 July 2013. Retrieved 2015-08-01.
  14. ^ "Premio alla carriera Città di Acqui 2014 a Joumana Haddad". tuononews.it. Archived from the original on 2015-12-08. Retrieved 2015-08-01.
  15. ^ "SEA | Winners". socialeconomicaward.com.
  16. ^ "WOMEN MAKE MOVIES - Jasad & The Queen of Contradictions". wmm.com. Retrieved 2015-08-01.
  17. ^ Jim Quilty. "The World Book Capital'scinematic ambassador on Beirut". The Daily Star Newspaper - Lebanon. Retrieved 2015-08-01.
  18. ^ "Paula Yacoubian to MTV: I congratulate Joumana Haddad for winning as well, and what happened is a great accomplishment for both of us". MTV Lebanon.
  19. ^ "Haddad calls for recount at Beirut protests". www.dailystar.com.lb. Archived from the original on 2019-05-26. Retrieved 2019-05-26.
  20. ^ "Lebanon civil society candidates suspect electoral 'fraud'". France 24. May 8, 2018.
  21. ^ "Joumana Haddad appeals election results". www.dailystar.com.lb. Archived from the original on 2019-02-03. Retrieved 2019-03-10.
  22. ^ "Politics upended as Jamali removed from Parliament". www.dailystar.com.lb. Archived from the original on 2019-05-26. Retrieved 2019-05-26.
  23. ^ a b Edemariam, Aida (2010-08-20). "Joumana Haddad: 'I live in a country that hates me'". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2020-10-25.
  24. ^ "Nwf.com: كتاب· الجيم-جمانيات: جمانة حداد:كتب". neelwafurat.com. Retrieved 2015-08-01.
  25. ^ "بنت الخيّاطة". www.goodreads.com.
  26. ^ "Madinah". commapress.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2013-11-10. Retrieved 2015-08-01.
  27. ^ I Killed Scheherazade: Confessions of an Angry Arab Woman: Amazon.co.uk: Joumana Haddad: 9780863564277: Books. ASIN 0863564275.
  28. ^ "JOUMANA HADDAD News AND EVENTS". ikilledscheherazade.com. Archived from the original on 2015-08-01. Retrieved 2015-08-01.
  29. ^ "Superman Is an Arab,By Joumana· Haddad. Westbourne Press, £8.99". The Independent. 22 October 2012. Archived from the original on 2022-06-17. Retrieved 2015-08-01.
  30. ^ "MONDADORI 100617208 - Letteratura per Ragazzi - ePrice". eprice.it. Archived from the original on 2012-06-29. Retrieved 2015-08-01.
  31. ^ Amazon.fr - Les amants ne devraient porter que des mocassins-Haddad Joumana, Patricia Nik-Dad-Livres. ASIN 2940127549.
  32. ^ "El retorno de Lilith - 9788477858447 - ATRIL - La Central - Barcelona - 2015". lacentral.com. Retrieved 2015-08-01.
  33. ^ "Kikah كيكا". kikah.com. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2015-08-01.
  34. ^ "Haddad Joumana - Il ritorno di Lilith". ibs.it. Retrieved 2015-08-01.
  35. ^ "Bokus bokhandel: Handla böcker online - billigt, snabbt & enkelt!". bokia.se. Retrieved 2015-08-01.
  36. ^ "Vaso Roto Ediciones". vasorotoediciones.blogspot.com. Retrieved 2015-08-01.
  37. ^ "miroirs des passantes". lecomptoirdiff.com. Retrieved 2015-08-01.[permanent dead link‍]
  38. ^ "LAS SIETE VIDAS DE LUCA. UN CUENTO ECOLÓGICO - Laie". laie.es. Archived from the original on 2011-09-19. Retrieved 2015-08-01.
  39. ^ "Vaso Roto Ediciones: Los amantes deberían llevar solo mocasines". vasorotoediciones.blogspot.com. Retrieved 2015-08-01.
  40. ^ "هذه أيضاً أنا".
  41. ^ "Joumana Haddad: 'Arab women have been brainwashed'". The Independent. 2012-06-01. Archived from the original on 2022-06-17. Retrieved 2020-10-25.
  42. ^ "Sex and the Souk". The New York Times. 21 March 2011. Retrieved 2015-08-01.
  43. ^ Aida Edemariam (20 August 2010). "Joumana Haddad: 'I live in a country that hates me'". the Guardian. Retrieved 2015-08-01.
  44. ^ Joumana Haddad (26 March 2013). "Why am I an atheist?". mmedia.me. Archived from the original on 2016-03-05. Retrieved 2015-08-01.
  45. ^ Kaelen Wilson-Goldie (27 November 2010). "Joumana Haddad: A writer who loves to be hated". thenational.ae. Retrieved 2015-08-01.
  46. ^ Joumana Haddad. "Political program". Archived from the original on 2019-05-08. Retrieved 2018-05-07.
  47. ^ "Interview with Joumana Haddad: "I don't believe in female solidarity" - Qantara.de". Qantara.de - Dialogue with the Islamic World. 13 June 2014. Retrieved 2020-10-25.
  48. ^ "Los Angeles Review of Books". 11 February 2019.
  49. ^ "Interview with Joumana Haddad: "The best is yet to come"". middleeastsight. Archived from the original on 2019-05-26. Retrieved 2019-05-26.
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