Trevor LeGassick (August 19, 1934June 21, 2022) was a noted Western scholar and translator in the field 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 ...

. He obtained a BA in Arabic from the

School of Oriental and African Studies SOAS University of London (; the School of Oriental and African Studies) is a public research university in London, England, and a member institution of the federal University of London. Founded in 1916, SOAS is located in the Bloomsbury ar ...

in 1958 and completed a PhD, also from SOAS, in 1960. After stints in Wisconsin and Indiana, he joined the faculty of the

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

in 1966, where he would teach for fifty-two years. He was promoted to full professor in 1979.Vitae in University of Michigan website
/ref> LeGassick published three books and numerous articles on contemporary Arabic culture and literature. He was also noted as a translator of Arabic novels, short stories and plays, covering a wide range of modern writers such as

Naguib Mahfouz Naguib Mahfouz Abdelaziz Ibrahim Ahmed Al-Basha ( arz, نجيب محفوظ عبد العزيز ابراهيم احمد الباشا, ; 11 December 1911 – 30 August 2006) was an Egyptian writer who won the 1988 Nobel Prize in Literature. ...

, Halim Barakat,

Yusuf Idris Yusuf Idris, also Yusif Idris ( ar, يوسف إدريس) (May 19, 1927 – August 1, 1991) was an Egyptian writer of plays, short stories, and novels. Biography Idris was born in Faqous. He originally trained to be a doctor, studying at the ...

and

Emile Habiby Emile Shukri Habibi ( ar, إميل حبيبي, he, אמיל חביבי, 28 January 1922 – 2 May 1996) was a Palestinian-Israeli

. His 1975 translation of Mahfouz's novel '' Midaq Alley'' was one of the first works to introduce English speakers to the writings of the eventual

Nobel Prize The Nobel Prizes ( ; sv, Nobelpriset ; no, Nobelprisen ) are five separate prizes that, according to Alfred Nobel's will of 1895, are awarded to "those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind." Alfr ...

winner. He retired as Emeritus Professor at the University of Michigan on May 31, 2022 and passed away on June 21, 2022.

Books

* ''Major Themes in Modern Arabic Thoughts'' (1979) * ''The Defense Statement of Ahmad 'Urabi''(1982) * ''Critical Perspectives on Naguib Mahfouz'' (1990)

Selected translations

* '' Midaq Alley'' by

. 1975 * ''Days of Dust'' by Halim Barakat. 1974 * ''Flipflop and His Master'' by

. A three-act play in translation, 1977 * ''I Am Free and Other Stories'' by Ihsan Abd El Koddous. 1978. * ''The Secret Life of Saeed (A Palestinian Who Became a Citizen of Israel)'' by

Emile Habiby Emile Shukri Habibi ( ar, إميل حبيبي, he, אמיל חביבי, 28 January 1922 – 2 May 1996) was a Palestinian-Israeli

. Co-translator:

Salma Khadra Jayyusi Salma Khadra Jayyusi ( ar, سلمى الخضراء الجيوسي; born 1926 or 1927) is a Palestinian poet, writer, translator and anthologist. She is the founder and director of the Project of Translation from Arabic (PROTA), which aims to provi ...

. 1982 * ''The Thief and the Dogs'' by Naguib Mahfouz. Co-translator: M. Badawi. 1984 * ''Wild Thorns'' by

Sahar Khalifeh Sahar Khalifeh ( ar, سحر خليفة) (born 1941) is a Palestinian writer. She has written eleven novels, which have been translated into English, French, Hebrew, German, Spanish, and many other languages. One of her best-known works is the nov ...

. Co-translator:

Elizabeth Fernea Elizabeth Warnock Fernea (October 21, 1927 – December 2, 2008) was an influential writer and filmmaker who spent much of her life in the field producing numerous ethnographies and films that capture the struggles and turmoil of African and M ...

. 1985

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:LeGassick, Trevor 1935 births Living people Arabic–English translators University of Michigan faculty