Arab Writers Union

Arab Writers Union
Name	Arab Writers Union
Formation	1969
Type	Professional association
Headquarters	Damascus, Syria
Region served	Arab world
Language	Arabic

Arab Writers Union The Arab Writers Union is a regional association established to represent novelists, poets, critics, and playwrights across the Arab world. It functions as a forum for literary exchange among authors from countries such as Egypt, Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, and Morocco, and engages with institutions including the League of Arab States, UNESCO, Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization, and national cultural ministries. Founded in 1969, it has been involved with festivals, prize programs, and publishing initiatives that link figures from cities like Cairo, Beirut, Baghdad, Rabat, and Tunis.

History

The Union was formed during a period shaped by events such as the 1967 Six-Day War, the aftermath of the Suez Crisis, and the rise of pan-Arab movements associated with leaders like Gamal Abdel Nasser and institutions such as the Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party. Early congresses gathered writers influenced by figures including Naguib Mahfouz, Tawfiq al-Hakim, Adonis and Mahmoud Darwish, while debates addressed themes seen in works by Ibrahim al-Koni, Ghassan Kanafani, Assia Djebar, and Edward Said. The Union's headquarters moved to Damascus and its development intersected with cultural policies in states like Syria, Iraq, Algeria, and Libya. International contacts linked it to organizations such as PEN International, International Publishers Association, Nordic Council, and delegations from countries including France, United Kingdom, United States, and Russia.

Organization and Membership

The Union's structure includes a general assembly, elected councils, and committees that mirror models used by institutions like the Arab Writers Union of Syria-affiliated bodies, national writers' syndicates in Egypt and Iraq, and academies such as the Academy of the Arabic Language in Damascus and the Egyptian Academy of the Arabic Language. Membership has encompassed a wide range of authors: poets, novelists, playwrights, critics, and translators from nations including Jordan, Palestine, Sudan, Mauritania, Yemen, Oman, and Kuwait. Notable administrative interactions occurred with ministries such as the Syrian Ministry of Culture, the Iraqi Ministry of Culture, and municipal cultural departments in cities like Alexandria and Tripoli.

Activities and Publications

The Union organizes annual congresses, regional symposia, and book fairs that coincide with events like the Cairo International Book Fair, the Sharjah International Book Fair, and the Beirut International Arab Book Fair. It has published anthologies, periodicals, and proceedings alongside publishing houses such as Dar al-Adab, Al-Mu'assasa al-Arabiya, Anglo-Egyptian Bookshop, and state presses in Damascus and Baghdad. Collaborative projects linked Union members with translators associated with institutions like Institut du Monde Arabe, and academic departments at universities including American University of Beirut, Cairo University, University of Damascus, and University of Algiers.

Political Influence and Controversies

Over decades the Union has been entwined with political disputes involving figures and events such as Hafez al-Assad, Bashar al-Assad, Saddam Hussein, the Palestinian Liberation Organization, and responses to conflicts including the Lebanese Civil War, the Gulf War, and the Syrian Civil War. Its positions have prompted debate with organizations like Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, PEN International, and national parliaments in Tunisia and Morocco. Controversies have involved resignations and expulsions echoing disputes surrounding writers such as Saadallah Wannous, Salah Jahin, Youssef al-Khal, and critics aligned with think tanks and media outlets like Al Jazeera, Al Arabiya, and Asharq Al-Awsat.

Notable Members

Members and associated figures have included novelists, poets, and critics linked to major works and movements: Naguib Mahfouz, Tawfiq al-Hakim, Mahmoud Darwish, Adonis, Ghassan Kanafani, Assia Djebar, Ibrahim al-Koni, Nazik Al-Malaika, Mohammed al-Maghout, Jabra Ibrahim Jabra, Said Akl, Ihsan Abdel Quddous, Khalil Gibran, Ibrahim Nagi, Badr Shakir al-Sayyab, Fadwa Tuqan, Ibrahim al-Kuni, Radwa Ashour, Amin Maalouf, Ghassan Zaqtan, Salwa Bakr, Hanan al-Shaykh, Tayeb Salih, Nawal El Saadawi, Ibtisam Azem, Elias Khoury, Hussein Barghouti, Rafik Schami, Yusuf al-Khalifa, Munif al-Razzaz, Walid Khalidi, Salah Stétié, Jamal al-Ghitani, Abdelrahman Munif, Adonis, Rachid Boudjedra, Tahar Ben Jelloun, Abdelwahab Meddeb, Samih al-Qasim, Fadhil Al-Azzawi, Khaled Khalifa, Ibrahim al-Hsaini, Hammour Ziada, Ahdaf Soueif, Ezzedine Choukri Fishere, Hisham Matar, Rim Banna, and Youssef Rakha.

Awards and Programs

The Union has sponsored literary prizes, residency programs, and translation grants that intersect with awards like the Naguib Mahfouz Medal for Literature, the International Prize for Arabic Fiction, the Cairo International Book Fair Prize, and regional fellowships hosted by institutions such as the British Council, Goethe-Institut, and Ford Foundation. Programs have included mentorships connecting emerging writers from cities like Sanaa, Khartoum, Amman, and Manama with established authors, and partnerships for translation into languages promoted by organizations such as UNESCO, Institut Français, DAAD, and cultural missions of Italy and Spain.

Category:Literary societies