Rose Ghorayeb ( ar, روز غريّب, born 1909 – died 2006) was a Lebanese writer, author, literary critic, and

feminist Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social equality of the sexes. Feminism incorporates the position that society prioritizes the male po ...

. She was a professor of

Arabic literature Arabic literature ( ar, الأدب العربي / ALA-LC: ''al-Adab al-‘Arabī'') is the writing, both as prose and poetry, produced by writers in the Arabic language. The Arabic word used for literature is '' Adab'', which is derived from ...

at the Lebanese American University and was frequently referred to as the "first female critic in Arabic literature". Regarded as a pioneer in

aesthetic criticism There are many varieties of criticism. This article describes common types that occur regularly in everyday life. For other criteria that classify criticisms, see . For more subject-specific information, see the pages on topics such as Art critici ...

, her literary career spanned more than 70 years and included many children stories, articles, biographies and plays.

Biography

Ghorayeb was born in Damour,

Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus li ...

in 1909. In 1932, she graduated from the American Junior College for Women 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 ...

, a predecessor to the Lebanese American University. In 1948, the college renamed itself the

Beirut College for Women The Lebanese American University (LAU) ( ar, الجامعة اللبنانية الأميركية) is a secular and private American university located in Lebanon. It is chartered by the board of regents of the University of the State of New Y ...

. She later became the head of the college's Arabic department. She published extensively in many regional Arabic magazines and journals from 1943 to 1980. As a

women's rights activist Women's rights are the rights and entitlements claimed for women and girls worldwide. They formed the basis for the women's rights movement in the 19th century and the feminist movements during the 20th and 21st centuries. In some countries, ...

, she regularly wrote for the Lebanese monthly magazine ''The Woman's Voice''. She also frequently published articles in the ''Voice of Bahrain'',

Bahrain Bahrain ( ; ; ar, البحرين, al-Bahrayn, locally ), officially the Kingdom of Bahrain, ' is an island country in Western Asia. It is situated on the Persian Gulf, and comprises a small archipelago made up of 50 natural islands and an ...

's first magazine, and this was believed to have played a role in the introduction of new social ideas in the country. Amongst her most notable works was a biography on the Lebanese-Palestinian poet May Ziadeh, who was regarded as a pioneer in Middle Eastern feminism in the early 20th century.* From 1983 to 1993, she served as the editor of '' Al-Raida,'' the journal of the Lebanese American University's Institute for Women's Studies in the Arab World.

Works

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ghorayeb, Rose 1909 births 1996 deaths Lebanese women writers Lebanese feminists Lebanese literary critics Lebanese women literary critics