Masoud Juni, sometimes spelled as Masoud Jouni ( ar, مسعود جوني; 1939-16 May 1991), was a

Syrian Syrians ( ar, سُورِيُّون, ''Sūriyyīn'') are an Eastern Mediterranean ethnic group indigenous to the Levant. They share common Levantine Semitic roots. The cultural and linguistic heritage of the Syrian people is a blend of both indi ...

writer, poet and novelist from

Mashqita Mashqita ( ar, مشقيتا) is a town in northwestern Syria, administratively part of the Latakia Governorate, located north of Latakia. Nearby localities include Ayn al-Bayda, Al-Shamiyah and Burj Islam to the west, al-Bahluliyah to the east and ...

Latakia , coordinates = , elevation_footnotes = , elevation_m = 11 , elevation_ft = , postal_code_type = , postal_code = , area_code = Country code: 963 City code: 41 , geocode ...

known for his sentimental poems about love and nationalism.Union of Arab Writers in Syria , Masoud Jouni (in Arabic)
/ref>Masoud Jouni.. different figures in one creative self , Al-Baath Media (in Arabic)
/ref>

Early life, education and early jobs

Juni was born in 1939 in the village of

Latakia , coordinates = , elevation_footnotes = , elevation_m = 11 , elevation_ft = , postal_code_type = , postal_code = , area_code = Country code: 963 City code: 41 , geocode ...

during the period of the French Mandate for Syria and the Lebanon. After completing high school, Juni traveled to and resided in

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...

in 1957 where he earned a

Bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...

from the Egyptian Military Academy two years later in 1959 and later returned to Syria to study Law in the

University of Damascus The University of Damascus ( ar, جَامِعَةُ دِمَشْقَ, ''Jāmi‘atu Dimashq'') is the largest and oldest university in Syria, located in the capital Damascus and has campuses in other Syrian cities. It was founded in 1923 through ...

. Sometime after graduating, he became an officer in the Syrian Arab Army before being transferred to the

Syrian Civil Defence Forces The Syrian Civil Defence Forces, also known as Self-Protection Squads, is a civil defence organisation that operates in Syria. It is also known as The People's Army. Directors-General of the organisation have included Brigadier General Abdel-Chan ...

which he became the director of in

Latakia , coordinates = , elevation_footnotes = , elevation_m = 11 , elevation_ft = , postal_code_type = , postal_code = , area_code = Country code: 963 City code: 41 , geocode ...

and Tartous.

Career

He began writing in the 60s and joined the

Arab Writers Union The Arab Writers Union (ar.: اتحاد الكتاب العرب) is an association of Arab writers, founded in 1969, in Damascus, Syria, at the initiative of a group of Arab writers including Syrian novelist Hanna Mina. In 2008, the union was mov ...

Syria Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...

, rising to become one of its prominent members and later becoming the president of its branch in Latakia. His first published work was ''Songs for Love and People'' which he published in

Damascus )), is an adjective which means "spacious". , motto = , image_flag = Flag of Damascus.svg , image_seal = Emblem of Damascus.svg , seal_type = Seal , map_caption = , ...

in 1968, a poetry book that, like most of his works, contains nationalist, sentimental and romantic poems. He would later continue to publish four more publications in Damascus, three books of poetry and a novel from 1971 to 1991. He says in his poem "Your eyes are Poetry":

Death

He died on Thursday 16 May 1991 at the age of 53, leaving behind three unpublished manuscripts, a novel, ''A House of Basalt'', the second volume of ''The Dual Says'' and a novel talking about political life and society in the 1960s. The first two books would be published in Damascus in 1992 and 1994 respectively, while the third unnamed novel remains unreleased to this day. Fellow Syrian writer Dr. Masoud Bobou wrote in an article mourning him after his death:

Publications

*''Songs for Love and People'' أغنيات للحب والشعب Poetry. Damascus 1968 *''Flame and Shadow'' اللهب والظل Poetry. Damascus 1971 *''Two Steps Between You and I'' بيني وبينك خطوتان Poetry. Damascus 1984 *''The Dual Says'' يقول المثنى Poetry. Damascus 1991 *''Proclamation Number 9'' البلاغ رقم 9 Novel. Damascus 1991 *''A Basalt House'' بيت من البازلت Novel. Damascus 1992 *''The Dual Says'' يقول المثنى Poetry. Damascus 1994

References

External links

Arabic language Facebook pageArabic language Al-Baath newspaper article about Juni
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jūnī', Masʻūd 1938 births 1991 deaths Syrian poets Syrian Alawites 20th-century Syrian writers 20th-century Syrian poets Egyptian Military Academy alumni People from Latakia Governorate

Early life, education and early jobs

Career

Death

Publications

See also

References

External links