Youssef Halaq ( ar, يوسف حلاق) (1939-2007) is 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, professor and literary translator who translated various Russian works and publications from the

Russian language Russian (russian: русский язык, russkij jazyk, link=no, ) is an East Slavic languages, East Slavic language mainly spoken in Russia. It is the First language, native language of the Russians, and belongs to the Indo-European langua ...

to his native

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic languages, 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 ...

since 1968.Union of Arab Writers in Syria , Youssef Halaq (in Arabic)
/ref> Halaq was born in the town of

Yabroud Yabroud or Yabrud ( ar, يَبْرُود, Yabrūd) is a city in Syria, located in the ''Rif Dimashq'' (i.e. Damascus' countryside) governorate about north of the capital Damascus. According to the Syria Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), Yab ...

, 80 kilometres north of

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 1939 during the period of the

Mandatory Syrian Republic The First Syrian Republic, officially the Syrian Republic, '; french: République syrienne was formed in 1930 as a component of the Mandate for Syria and the Lebanon, succeeding the State of Syria. A treaty of independence was made in 1936 to ...

. After finishing his education in Yabroud, he traveled and resided in

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...

temporarily to study in the

Moscow State University M. V. Lomonosov Moscow State University (MSU; russian: Московский государственный университет имени М. В. Ломоносова) is a public research university in Moscow, Russia and the most prestigious ...

where he got a

Magister degree A magister degree (also magistar, female form: magistra; from la, magister, "teacher") is an academic degree used in various systems of higher education. The magister degree arose in medieval universities in Europe and was originally equal to the ...

in Russian literature in 1964. Upon returning to his home country, he began teaching the Russian language in the High Institute for Russian language in the

Damascus University 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 ...

and in various schools in the city before beginning to translate in 1968. He 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 ...

and its Translation Association, and from 1968 to 1990, he translated 18 Russian language books including selected works of prominent figures such as

Vladimir Lenin Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov. ( 1870 – 21 January 1924), better known as Vladimir Lenin,. was a Russian revolutionary, politician, and political theorist. He served as the first and founding head of government of Soviet Russia from 1917 to 19 ...

Rasul Gamzatov Rasul Gamzatovich Gamzatov ( av, ХӀамзатазул Расул ХӀамзатил вас, Ħamzatil Rasul Ħamzatil vas, ; russian: Расу́л Гамза́тович Гамза́тов, p=rɐˈsul ɡɐmˈzatəvʲɪtɕ ɡɐmˈzatəf, a=Rasu ...

, and

Mikhail Bulgakov Mikhail Afanasyevich Bulgakov ( rus, links=no, Михаил Афанасьевич Булгаков, p=mʲɪxɐˈil ɐfɐˈnasʲjɪvʲɪtɕ bʊlˈɡakəf; – 10 March 1940) was a Soviet writer, medical doctor, and playwright active in the fir ...

. He died 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 2007 at the age of 67. Professional works of Youssef Halaq (in Arabic)
/ref>

Works

Those following publications are all translations by Halaq from the Russian language which were 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 = , ...

and

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 ...

from 1968 to 1990. *''Marxist Aesthetics - A Study By a Group of Soviet scholars'' (1968) الجمال في تفسيره الماركسي- دراسة لمجموعة من العلماء السوفييت *''Stories on Lenin and Lunacharsky'' (1970) قصص عن لينين لوناتشارسكي *''Alcohol and Children'' (1972) الكحول والأولاد *''On Literature and Art'' (1972-1973) في الأدب والفن *''Literary and Artistic Studies'' (1977) دراسات أدبية وفنية *''The Foundations of Marxist-Leninist Aesthetics'' (1978) أسس علم الجمال الماركسي-اللينيني *''My Dagestan'' (1979) بلدي *''Chosen Works - Belinsky'' (1980) أعمال مختارة - بلنسكي *''The Duel'' (1982) المبارزة *''Moloch'' (1982) مولك *''Aesthetic Relations of Art to Reality'' (1982) علاقات الفن الجمالي في الواقع *''In Culture'' (1982) في الثقافة *''Money for Maria'' (1984) نقود لماريا *''Literature and Humanist Sciences'' (1986) الأدب والعلوم الإنسانية *''The Master and Margarita'' (1986) المعلم ومارغاريتا The Master and Margarita (in Arabic)
/ref> *''The Word in Novel'' (1988) الكلمة في الرواية *''Place and Time in the Novel'' (1990) المكان والزمان في الرواية

References

1939 births 2007 deaths People from Rif Dimashq Governorate Academic staff of Damascus University 20th-century Syrian writers {{Syria-writer-stub