Anbara Salam Khalidi () (4 August 1897–May 1986) was a
Lebanese feminist, translator and author, who significantly contributed to the emancipation of Arab women.
Early life and education
Khalidi was born into an eminent Lebanese family in
Beirut
Beirut, french: Beyrouth is the capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, which makes it the third-largest city in the Levant region. The city is situated on a peninsula at the midpoint o ...
in 1897.
[ She was the daughter of ]Salim Ali Salam
Salim Ali Salam ( ar, سليم علي سلام, tr, Selim Ali Selam, also known as Abu Ali Salam; 1868–1938) was a prominent figure in Beirut at the turn of the 20th century who held numerous public positions, including deputy from Beirut to th ...
, a deputy in the Ottoman parliament and a merchant, and her mother was a member of the leading families, namely the Barbir and Aghars. Her brother Saeb Salam
Saeb Salam (17 January 1905 – 21 January 2000) ( ar, صائب سلام) was a Lebanon, Lebanese politician, who served as List of Prime Ministers of Lebanon, Prime Minister six times between 1952 and 1973. Following his death, the Lebanese ...
served as the prime minister. Two of her brothers also held cabinet posts.[ One of her sisters was the wife of ]Rashid Karami
Rashid Abdul Hamid Karami (30 December 1921 – 1 June 1987) ( ar, رشيد كرامي) was a Lebanese statesman. He is considered one of the most important political figures in Lebanon for more than 30 years, including during much of the Lebane ...
, Lebanese prime minister.
In 1913 during the First Arab Congress in Paris Khalidi, along with two other women, sent a telegram to the congress. This telegram was the first message that was read aloud. She received a modern education and learned French. She and her siblings attended the Anglican Syrian College in Ras Beirut, which is the predecessor of the American University of Beirut
The American University of Beirut (AUB) ( ar, الجامعة الأميركية في بيروت) is a private, non-sectarian, and independent university chartered in New York with its campus in Beirut, Lebanon. AUB is governed by a private, aut ...
. From 1925 to 1927 she studied in the United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
.[
]![Salim Ali Salam with King Faisal I of Iraq in Richmond Park in London in 1925, along with Salim's son Saeb and daughters Anbara and Rasha](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4c/Salim_Ali_Salam_with_King_Faisal_I_of_Iraq_in_Richmond_Park_in_London_in_1925%2C_along_with_Salim%27s_son_Saeb_and_daughters_Anbara_and_Rasha..jpg)
Activities
After returning to Beirut, Khalidi joined the pioneering women's movement called Society for Women's Renaissance.[ She worked there on advancing women's role in society and politics, on encouraging national Lebanese products of textiles and fashion, and on establishing schools for women and advocating for women education.
In 1927 Khalidi was invited by the American University of Beirut to speak about her time in England. Her speech was called "An Oriental Woman in England". Once she got on stage, she removed her veil.][ She was the first Muslim woman in Lebanon to publicly abandon the veil.]
She was the first to translate Homer
Homer (; grc, Ὅμηρος , ''Hómēros'') (born ) was a Greek poet who is credited as the author of the ''Iliad'' and the ''Odyssey'', two epic poems that are foundational works of ancient Greek literature. Homer is considered one of the ...
's ''Odyssey
The ''Odyssey'' (; grc, Ὀδύσσεια, Odýsseia, ) is one of two major Ancient Greek literature, ancient Greek Epic poetry, epic poems attributed to Homer. It is one of the oldest extant works of literature still widely read by moder ...
'' and Virgil
Publius Vergilius Maro (; traditional dates 15 October 7021 September 19 BC), usually called Virgil or Vergil ( ) in English, was an ancient Roman poet of the Augustan period. He composed three of the most famous poems in Latin literature: t ...
's ''Aeneid
The ''Aeneid'' ( ; la, Aenē̆is or ) is a Latin Epic poetry, epic poem, written by Virgil between 29 and 19 BC, that tells the legendary story of Aeneas, a Troy, Trojan who fled the Trojan_War#Sack_of_Troy, fall of Troy and travelled to ...
'' into Arabic
Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic languages, Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C ...
.
Her memoir was published in 1978 with the title of ''Jawalah fil Dhikrayat Baynah Lubnan Wa Filastin'' (Arabic: ''A Tour of Memories of Lebanon and Palestine''). It was translated into English in 2013 under the title of ''Memoirs of an Early Arab Feminist''. In her memoir, Khalidi emphasized the negative effects the activities of Jamal Pasha
Ahmed Djemal ( ota, احمد جمال پاشا, Ahmet Cemâl Paşa; 6 May 1872 – 21 July 1922), also known as Cemal Pasha, was an Ottoman military leader and one of the Three Pashas that ruled the Ottoman Empire during World War I.
Djemal wa ...
, Ottoman ruler of Syria, had on her family and her childhood.
Personal life and death
Anbara Salam married a Palestinian
Palestinians ( ar, الفلسطينيون, ; he, פָלַסְטִינִים, ) or Palestinian people ( ar, الشعب الفلسطيني, label=none, ), also referred to as Palestinian Arabs ( ar, الفلسطينيين العرب, label=non ...
educator, Ahmad Samih Al Khalidi (died 1951) in 1929. It was his second marriage. He was the principal of the Arab College in Jerusalem in Mandatory Palestine
Mandatory Palestine ( ar, فلسطين الانتدابية '; he, פָּלֶשְׂתִּינָה (א״י) ', where "E.Y." indicates ''’Eretz Yiśrā’ēl'', the Land of Israel) was a geopolitical entity established between 1920 and 1948 ...
.[ They settled in ]Jerusalem
Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...
and then in Beirut.[ She died in Beirut in May 1986.][
]
Dedication
Anbara Salam Khalidi was the subject of a Google Doodle
A Google Doodle is a special, temporary alteration of the logo on Google's homepages intended to commemorate holidays, events, achievements, and notable historical figures. The first Google Doodle honored the 1998 edition of the long-running an ...
on 4 August 2018, the 121st anniversary of her birth.
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Salam Khalidi, Anbara
20th-century Lebanese writers
20th-century poets
20th-century translators
20th-century women writers
1897 births
1986 deaths
American University of Beirut alumni
Khalidi family
Lebanese feminists
Lebanese Sunni Muslims
Lebanese translators
Lebanese women activists
Lebanese women writers
Salam family
Writers from Beirut
Lebanese memoirists
Lebanese women memoirists