Afäwarq Gäbrä Iyäsus ( am, አፈወርቅ ገብረ ኢየሱስ, āfewerik’i gebire īyesusi; spelled in it, Afevork Ghevre Jesus or Āfeworq Gebre Īyesūs; spelled in English Afewark Gebre Iyasus; 10 July 1868 – 25 September 1947) was an Ethiopian writer, who wrote the first novel in

Amharic Amharic ( or ; (Amharic: ), ', ) is an Ethiopian Semitic language, which is a subgrouping within the Semitic branch of the Afroasiatic languages. It is spoken as a first language by the Amharas, and also serves as a lingua franca for all oth ...

, ''Ləbb Wälläd Tarik'' (A Heart etter “Intellect”born Story), (Italian: ''Libb Wolled Tarik''). Bahru Zewde writes, "Few people before or after him have demonstrated such superb mastery of the Amharic language. Few have ventured with such ingenuity into the hidden recesses of that language to come out with a wealth of vocabulary and idiom one scarcely thought the language possessed. Afäwarq is nonetheless a controversial figure for having supported the

Italians , flag = , flag_caption = The national flag of Italy , population = , regions = Italy 55,551,000 , region1 = Brazil , pop1 = 25–33 million , ref1 = , region2 ...

during both the

First First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1). First or 1st may also refer to: *World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement Arts and media Music * 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and rec ...

and

Second Italo-Ethiopian War The Second Italo-Ethiopian War, also referred to as the Second Italo-Abyssinian War, was a war of aggression which was fought between Italy and Ethiopia from October 1935 to February 1937. In Ethiopia it is often referred to simply as the Itali ...

Biography

Of Amhara descent, Afäwarq was born in Zegé on the southern shore of

Lake Tana Lake Tana ( am, ጣና ሐይቅ, T’ana ḥāyik’i; previously Tsana) is the largest lake in Ethiopia and the source of the Blue Nile. Located in Amhara Region in the north-western Ethiopian Highlands, the lake is approximately long and wid ...

. He received a traditional education from the church of Ura Kidana Mehrat under the direction of his grandfather ''Manher'' Denqe, whom Bahru Zewde describes as "a noted scholar." He also practiced painting in the traditional Ethiopian style. Afäwarq was also related to the Empress

Taytu Betul Taytu Betul ( am, ጣይቱ ብጡል; baptised as Wälättä Mikael; 1851 – 11 February 1918) was Empress of Ethiopia from 1889 to 1913 and the third wife of Emperor Menelik II. An influential figure in anti-colonial resistance during the l ...

, and it apparently was through her that he was introduced to Emperor

Menelik II , spoken = ; ''djānhoi'', lit. ''"O steemedroyal"'' , alternative = ; ''getochu'', lit. ''"Our master"'' (pl.) Menelik II ( gez, ዳግማዊ ምኒልክ ; horse name Abba Dagnew (Amharic: አባ ዳኘው ''abba daññäw''); 17 A ...

's court sometime after 1880. It was there he came to the attention of the Italian diplomat Count

Pietro Antonelli Pietro is an Italian masculine given name. Notable people with the name include: People * Pietro I Candiano (c. 842–887), briefly the 16th Doge of Venice * Pietro Tribuno (died 912), 17th Doge of Venice, from 887 to his death * Pietro II Can ...

, who was impressed with his artistic abilities and enabled him to study in Italy. Afäwarq left for Italy in September 1887, and was admitted to the International Institute in

Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...

, where he attended classes in painting at the Albertina Academy of Fine Arts. During his studies in Milan, he was called to be the official interpreter for the Ethiopian delegation headed by then ''

Dejazmach Until the end of the Ethiopian Empire, Ethiopian monarchy in 1974, there were two categories of nobility in Ethiopia and Eritrea. The Mesafint ( gez, መሳፍንት , modern , singular መስፍን , modern , "prince"), the hereditary nobility, ...

Makonnen Wolde Mikael ''Ras'' Makonnen Wolde Mikael Wolde Melekot (Amharic: ራስ መኮንን ወልደ ሚካኤል ወልደ መለኮት; 8 May 1852 – 21 March 1906), or simply Ras Makonnen, also known as Abba Qagnew (አባ ቃኘው), was a Shewan royal ...

. Afäwarq later claimed that it was he who pointed out the infamous discrepancy between the Amharic and

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

versions of article XVII of the

Treaty of Wuchale The Treaty of Wuchale (also spelled Treaty of Ucciale; it, Trattato di Uccialli, am, የውጫሌ ውል) was a treaty signed between the Ethiopian Empire and the Kingdom of Italy. The signing parties were King Menelik II of Shewa, acting as ...

. He returned to Ethiopia, arriving in

Addis Ababa Addis Ababa (; am, አዲስ አበባ, , new flower ; also known as , lit. "natural spring" in Oromo), is the capital and largest city of Ethiopia. It is also served as major administrative center of the Oromia Region. In the 2007 census, t ...

on 11 July 1890, at a time when his Italian connections only made the Empress disfavor him. Afäwarq's relationship with Taytu only worsened, so he was relieved when he was asked in September 1894 to escort two men to Neuchatel in Switzerland where they had been enrolled at the International School. By this time Afäwarq had also married the daughter of

Alfred Ilg Alfred Heinrich Ilg (30 March 1854 – 7 January 1916) was a Swiss engineer and First Minister of State to Ethiopian Emperor Menelik II. He was born in Frauenfeld, Switzerland and died in Zurich. Early life In 1854, Ilg was born into a poor hou ...

. It was while in Switzerland that Afäwarq first sided with Italy over his homeland, crossing over to Italy with his two charges and putting all three at the service of the Italian authorities. The Italians quickly sent them to the war front; they arrived at

Massawa Massawa ( ; ti, ምጽዋዕ, məṣṣəwaʿ; gez, ምጽዋ; ar, مصوع; it, Massaua; pt, Maçuá) is a port city in the Northern Red Sea region of Eritrea, located on the Red Sea at the northern end of the Gulf of Zula beside the Dahlak ...

6 January 1896, but despite Italian plans and intentions nothing of consequence came of this misadventure, and the three men were at

Asmara Asmara ( ), or Asmera, is the capital and most populous city of Eritrea, in the country's Central Region. It sits at an elevation of , making it the sixth highest capital in the world by altitude and the second highest capital in Africa. The ...

when the Italians were defeated at

Adwa Adwa ( ti, ዓድዋ; amh, ዐድዋ; also spelled Aduwa) is a town and separate woreda in Tigray Region, Ethiopia. It is best known as the community closest to the site of the 1896 Battle of Adwa, in which Ethiopian soldiers defeated Italian ...

. Afäwarq returned to Italy, and the next 16 years, as Bahru Zewde states, witnessed "some of the most important literary and intellectual accomplishments of his career. These included work on Amharic grammar, an Italian-Amharic conversation manual, the satirical ''Guide du voyageur'', and the novel ''Ləbb Wälläd Tarik''. ''Ləbb Wälläd Tarik'', about twin siblings Tobbya and Waḥəd and also simply known as ''Tobbya'', was published in Rome in 1908 under the name Afevork Ghevre Jesus and is widely considered the first novel in Amharic. Afäwarq also worked with the Italian Ethiopicist

Francesco Gallina Franco Gallina (1 January 1945 – 5 July 2021) was an Italian footballer who played as a forward, most notably in the Serie A and the North American Soccer League. Career Gallina played in the Serie D in 1962 with Casertana F.C. where he as ...

at this time. In 1912, Afäwarq moved to

Italian Eritrea Italian Eritrea ( it, Colonia Eritrea, "Colony of Eritrea") was a colony of the Kingdom of Italy in the territory of present-day Eritrea. The first Italian establishment in the area was the purchase of Assab by the Rubattino Shipping Company in ...

where he established an import-export business. On the death of Emperor Menelik, he attempted to ingratiate himself with his successor, Emperor

Iyasu V ''Lij'' Iyasu ( gez, ልጅ ኢያሱ; 4 February 1895 – 25 November 1935) was the designated Emperor of Ethiopia from 1913 to 1916. His baptismal name was Kifle Yaqob (ክፍለ ያዕቆብ ''kəflä y’aqob''). Ethiopian emperors traditio ...

, by writing poems lauding the young man; when Iyasu was deposed in a coup four years later, writes Bahru Zewde, "With the amazing dexterity for volte-face that was to be the hallmark of his career and character, Afäwärq composed an equally condemnatory poem on Iyyasu."Bahru Zewde, ''Pioneers'', p. 55 This latter tactic apparently succeeded in reconciling him with the new authorities, for in 1917 or 1918 he was back in Addis Ababa. By 1922 he had become the '' Nagadras'' of

Dire Dawa Dire Dawa ( am, ድሬዳዋ, om, Dirree Dhawaa, 3=Place of Remedy; so, Diridhaba, meaning "where Dir hit his spear into the ground" or "The true Dir", ar, ديري داوا,) is a city in eastern Ethiopia near the Oromia and Somali Re ...

in 1922, then between 1925 and 1930 Afäwarq served as president of the special court that heard cases involving foreigners and Ethiopians. He was appointed ''charge d'affairs'' in Rome for the Ethiopian government, a position for which Bahru Zewde notes that due to "his known predilection for the Italians and his record of treason" he might not have made him the best candidate. Bahru however goes on to quote the American representative in Ethiopia,

Addison E. Southard Addison E. Southard (October 18, 1884 – February 11, 1970) was an American diplomat who served as Minister Resident and Consul General to multiple countries. After serving in administration roles in the Philippines and diplomatic roles i ...

, who observed that

Haile Selassie Haile Selassie I ( gez, ቀዳማዊ ኀይለ ሥላሴ, Qädamawi Häylä Səllasé, ; born Tafari Makonnen; 23 July 189227 August 1975) was Emperor of Ethiopia from 1930 to 1974. He rose to power as Regent Plenipotentiary of Ethiopia (' ...

wanted "to get rid of Afäwarq locally who has the reputation for being an obstreperous and fire-eating old gentleman with potentialities for stirring ... trouble." Regardless of his deeper allegiances, Afäwarq found himself in a difficult situation, being forced to rely on the Italian

Ministry of Foreign Affairs In many countries, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is the government department responsible for the state's diplomacy, bilateral, and multilateral relations affairs as well as for providing support for a country's citizens who are abroad. The entit ...

to send his telegrams home.Bahru Zewde, ''Pioneers'', p. 56 He returned to Ethiopia shortly before the beginning of the Second Italo-Ethiopian War, but upon the Italian forces entering Addis Ababa, he acquiesced to their rule, christening 5 May 1936 as the beginning of the "Era of Mercy" for Ethiopia. Despite his loyalty to the Italian cause, in the backlash that followed the attempt on Graziani's life, he was arrested and deported to Italy. He was not allowed to return to Ethiopia until 1938, after which he served usefully enough to be made ''Afa Qesar'' ("Mouthpiece of the Caesar") 9 May 1939. However, upon Haile Selassie's return to Ethiopia, Afäwarq was arrested by the restored Ethiopian government, tried for treason, and sentenced to death—a sentence subsequently commuted to life imprisonment. He was exiled to

Jimma Jimma () is the largest city in southwestern Oromia Region, Ethiopia. It is a special zone of the Oromia Region and is surrounded by Jimma Zone. It has a latitude and longitude of . Prior to the 2007 census, Jimma was reorganized administrative ...

where Afäwarq, by then blind, died on 25 September 1947.

Works

* ልብ ፡ ወለድ ፡ ታሪክ ። (''Ləbb Wälläd Tarik'') Heart-Born Story Rome 1908. * ዳግማዊ ፡ ምኒልክ ፡ ንጉሠ ፡ ነገሥት ፡ ዘኢትዮጵያ ። (''Dāgmāwī Minīlik Nigūse Negest ze-'Ītyōṗyā'') enelek II, King of Kings of Ethiopia Rome 1909; second edition, Dire Dawa 1919.

Short stories

* እውነት ተመዶሻው ነው (''Iwnet Temedōšāw New''). 1898 * አጤ ፋሲል (''Āṭē Fāsīl'').See Zerihun Asfaw, ''Libbwolled Āwāǧ'', pp. 4–5

Linguistics

* ''Manuale di conversazione italiano-amarico con la pronuncia figurata''. Rome 1905. * ''Grammatica della lingua amarica. Metodo practico per l'insegnamento''. Rome 1905. * ''Guide du voyageur en Abyssinie''. Rome 1908. * ''Il verbo amarico''. Rome 1911.

References

External links