Nadra Haddad (; 30 October 1881– 27 May 1950) 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 ...

poet, and a founding member of

The Pen League The Mahjar ( ar, المهجر, translit=al-mahjar, one of its more literal meanings being "the Arab diaspora") was a literary movement started by Arabic-speaking writers who had emigrated to America from Ottoman-ruled Lebanon, Syria and Palestine ...

, the first Arabic-language

literary society A literary society is a group of people interested in literature. In the modern sense, this refers to a society that wants to promote one genre of writing or a specific author. Modern literary societies typically promote research, publish newsle ...

in North America.

Early life

Nadra was born on 30 October 1881 in

Homs Homs ( , , , ; ar, حِمْص / ALA-LC: ; Levantine Arabic: / ''Ḥomṣ'' ), known in pre-Islamic Syria as Emesa ( ; grc, Ἔμεσα, Émesa), is a city in western Syria and the capital of the Homs Governorate. It is Metres above sea level ...

Ottoman Syria Ottoman Syria ( ar, سوريا العثمانية) refers to divisions of the Ottoman Empire within the region of Syria, usually defined as being east of the Mediterranean Sea, west of the Euphrates River, north of the Arabian Desert and south ...

to Rashid Haddad, a Syrian intellectual. He received his primary education at the city’s

Greek Orthodox The term Greek Orthodox Church (Greek language, Greek: Ἑλληνορθόδοξη Ἐκκλησία, ''Ellinorthódoxi Ekklisía'', ) has two meanings. The broader meaning designates "the Eastern Orthodox Church, entire body of Orthodox (Chalced ...

community school, and worked as a bookkeeper, before emigrating on 26 December 1897 to the United States while 17. Haddad settled in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, and worked in commerce, all the while writing poetry. He worked as chief editor of the Arabic language publication '' As-Sayeh'' (, "The Tourist"), that his brother Abdelmasih started. He later worked in banking.

Works

Haddad is a founding member of

, the first Arabic-language literary society in North America. The league was formed initially by

Nasib Arida Nasib Arida ( ar, نسيب عريضة, ; 1887–1946) was a Syrian-born poet and writer of the Mahjar movement and a founding member of the New York Pen League. Life Arida was born in Homs to a Syrian Greek Orthodox family where he receiv ...

and by Nadra’s brother Abd al-Masih in 1916, and subsequently re-formed in 1920 by a larger group of Mahjari writers in New York led by

Gibran Khalil Gibran Gibran Khalil Gibran ( ar, جُبْرَان خَلِيل جُبْرَان, , , or , ; January 6, 1883 – April 10, 1931), usually referred to in English as Kahlil Gibran (pronounced ), was a Lebanese-American writer, poet and visual artist ...

. Haddad’s best known work is ''Diwan Awraq Al-Khareef'' (The book of Autumn Leaves).

Death

Haddad died of a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which may tr ...

on 27 May 1950 during a wedding ceremony, after he had recited a poem congratulating the newlyweds.

Personal life

Nadra married Hadba Haddad and fathered three children, Robert, William, and Josette.

Citations

References

* * * * * * * {{Cite book , last=Zeghidour , first=Slimane , url=https://www.worldcat.org/title/poesie-arabe-moderne-entre-lislam-et-loccident/oclc/924571139 , title=La poesie arabe moderne entre l'Islam et l'Occident , date=1982 , publisher=Karthala , isbn=978-2-86537-047-4 , location=Paris , language=French , oclc=924571139 Syrian poets Syrian Christians American people of Syrian descent 1881 births 1950 deaths