Ikram Antaki (July 9, 1948 – October 31, 2000) was a Syrian-Mexican writer.

Biography

Antaki was born in Damascus, Syria. Her grandfather served as the last governor of

Antioch Antioch on the Orontes (; grc-gre, Ἀντιόχεια ἡ ἐπὶ Ὀρόντου, ''Antiókheia hē epì Oróntou'', Learned ; also Syrian Antioch) grc-koi, Ἀντιόχεια ἡ ἐπὶ Ὀρόντου; or Ἀντιόχεια ἡ ἐπ� ...

. At the age of four, she entered a French language

Franciscan , image = FrancescoCoA PioM.svg , image_size = 200px , caption = A cross, Christ's arm and Saint Francis's arm, a universal symbol of the Franciscans , abbreviation = OFM , predecessor = , ...

school, where she remained until obtaining her baccalaureate. Later, she emigrated to France to study

comparative literature Comparative literature is an academic field dealing with the study of literature and cultural expression across linguistic, national, geographic, and disciplinary boundaries. Comparative literature "performs a role similar to that of the study ...

, social anthropology, and

ethnology Ethnology (from the grc-gre, ἔθνος, meaning 'nation') is an academic field that compares and analyzes the characteristics of different peoples and the relationships between them (compare cultural, social, or sociocultural anthropology). ...

of the

Arab The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Western Asia, ...

world at the

University of Paris , image_name = Coat of arms of the University of Paris.svg , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of Arms , latin_name = Universitas magistrorum et scholarium Parisiensis , motto = ''Hic et ubique terrarum'' (Latin) , mottoeng = Here and a ...

VII. In 1975, in her own words, she decided to travel "to the end of the earth," choosing Mexico as the most distant possible place from her native Damascus. She eventually became a Mexican citizen and lived there for the rest of her life. Antaki published 29 books in Spanish, French, and

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a 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. E.Watson; Walter ...

. During her time in Mexico she collaborated with Mexican television channels 11 and 13 and gained popularity due to her participation on "Monitor" radio news show, one of the most popular in the central region of the country. Her opinions were rather unorthodox: on several occasions she remarked that the generation of youth that participated in the movement of 1968 had been the poorest intellectually of 20th-century Mexico, that

democracy Democracy (From grc, δημοκρατία, dēmokratía, ''dēmos'' 'people' and ''kratos'' 'rule') is a form of government in which people, the people have the authority to deliberate and decide legislation ("direct democracy"), or to choo ...

had no place in the family or the school, and that

plebiscite A referendum (plural: referendums or less commonly referenda) is a direct vote by the electorate on a proposal, law, or political issue. This is in contrast to an issue being voted on by a representative. This may result in the adoption of ...

s were a fascist invention. Those who have written about her describe her as an extremely reserved person. She never learned to dance or to swim. Her readers, on the other hand, note the lightheartedness of her writings and lectures, the profundity of her investigations and her own originality. She died October 31, 2000, in

Mexico City Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital city, capital and primate city, largest city of Mexico, and the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North Amer ...

, survived by one son, the Mexican filmmaker Maruan Soto Antaki.

Selected works

*''El pueblo que no quería crecer'', 2000. (''The people who didn't want to grow'') *''El espíritu de Córdoba''. (''The spirit of Córdoba'') *''A la vuelta del milenio''. (''To the turn of the millennium'') *''El Manual del ciudadano contemporáneo'', 2000. (''Manual of the contemporary citizen'') *''Segundo Renacimiento: pensamiento y fin de siglo'', 1992. (''The Second Renaissance: thought and the end of the century'') *''En el banquete de Platón'', 1996. *''Epiphanios'', 1992. *''El secreto de Dios'', 1992. *''La pira'', 1990. *''La cultura de los árabes'', 1989. *''Temas morales'', 2002. *''Celebrar el pensamiento'', 1999. *''La tercera cultura : nuestras raíces islamoárabes'', 1990. *''Espiratualidad'', 2000.

References

This article originated as a translation of the corresponding article in the Spanish-language Wikipedia. {{DEFAULTSORT:Antaki, Ikram 1948 births 2000 deaths Syrian emigrants to France Syrian novelists Mexican people of Syrian descent Writers from Damascus French emigrants to Mexico 20th-century novelists Syrian women writers 20th-century Syrian women writers 20th-century Syrian writers 20th-century Mexican women writers 20th-century Mexican writers