Lotus Prize for Literature
1 appearances
-
Edition 12 (1980) Winner
Husayn Muruwwa
フサイン・ムルワー
Husayn Muruwwa
Aliases:
Hussein Mroue / Hussein Mroueh / حسين مروة
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- Haddatha, Lebanon
- Died
- 1987-02-17 （Beirut, Lebanon） age 78
- Nationality
- Lebanese
- Languages
- Arabic
- Religion
- Twelver Shia Islam (raised in a Shia clerical family)
- Residence History
- Najaf, Iraq → Baghdad, Iraq → Damascus, Syria → Beirut, Lebanon → Moscow, USSR / Russia
Career
- Occupations
- philosopher, journalist, author, literary critic
- Active Years
- 1924-1987
- Affiliations
- Lebanese Communist Party, Arab Writers' Association (represented Lebanese branch), World Peace Council (collaborator / partisan of peace)
- Memberships
- Lebanese Communist Party, Arab Writers' Association
- Influenced By
- Taha Husayn, Shibli al-Shumayyil, Marxist writers and theorists (Marx, Engels, Stalin, etc.), Soviet writers and orientalists
- Influenced
- Subsequent generations of Arab leftist thinkers and writers, Contemporary scholars of materialist approaches to Islamic history
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seminary in Najaf | — | Islamic law and theology | mujtahid (宗教学的資格) | 1924–1938 | Iraq |
| Higher educational institution in Moscow | — | Philosophy / Historical materialism | 博士号 (PhD) | 1968–1974 | USSR |
Seminary in Najaf
Islamic law and theology
Degree:
mujtahid (宗教学的資格)
Period:
1924–1938
Year of Graduation:
1938
Country:
Iraq
Studied in Najaf and is reported to have become a mujtahid in 1938
Higher educational institution in Moscow
Philosophy / Historical materialism
Degree:
博士号 (PhD)
Period:
1968–1974
Year of Graduation:
1974
Country:
USSR
Completed doctoral thesis in Moscow; this work formed the basis of his magnum opus
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | Lotus Prize for Literature | Materialist Tendencies in Arabic-Islamic Philosophy | — | Afro-Asian Writers' Association | 受賞 |
Lotus Prize for Literature
1980
Work:
Materialist Tendencies in Arabic-Islamic Philosophy
Organization:
Afro-Asian Writers' Association
Result:
受賞
Awards & Nominations
Works
Major Works
Ma’a Al-Qafilah (With the Caravan)
1952 Essays / Collected articlesA collection of articles originally published in Al-Hayat covering social and literary topics.
literary criticismsocial issues
Literary Issues
1956 Literary criticismEssays on New Realism and literary criticism reflecting his Marxist-influenced approach.
New Realismliterature and society
The Iraqi Revolution
1958 Political writingPolitical reflections on the 1948 uprising and Iraq's political transformations.
colonialism and independencerevolution
Critical Studies in Light of Realistic Methodology
1965 Criticism / TheoryCritical studies applying historical-materialist methodology to literature and thought.
historical materialismliterary theory
Materialist Tendencies in Arabic-Islamic Philosophy
1978 Intellectual history / PhilosophyA two-volume Marxist interpretation of classical Arab-Islamic texts that highlights materialist and progressive tendencies in the tradition.
history of Islamic thoughtmaterialist interpretationintellectual history
Studies in Islam
1980 Thought / Religious studiesA collection of essays on various aspects of Islam.
religious historyhistorical analysis
Bibliography
- Ma’a Al-Qafilah (1952)
- Literary Issues (1956)
- The Iraqi Revolution (1958)
- Critical Studies in Light of Realistic Methodology (1965)
- Materialist Tendencies in Arabic-Islamic Philosophy (1978)
- Studies in Islam (1980)
- On Heritage and Shariʿah (1984)
- Our Heritage, How We Know It (1985)
- Born a Sheykh, I'll Die a Child: Autobiography in a discussion with Abbas Baydoun (1990)
- Studies in Thought and Literature (1993)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- Marxist analysishistorical-materialist methodologyinfluenced by socialist realism
- Recurring Motifs
- class strugglecritique of colonialismemphasis on material aspects of history
Legacy
Muruwwa is known for his materialist reinterpretation of Arab-Islamic heritage; his work significantly influenced Arab leftist thought and literary criticism and continues to provoke scholarly debate.
Academic Societies
- Arab Writers' Association
- Afro-Asian Writers' Association (associated)
In Popular Culture
- Frequently cited in academic studies and documentary programs
- His writings are a key reference in studies of Arab leftist intellectual history
Quotes
-
In Najaf, Marx entered my life.
Source: Autobiography (in a discussion with Abbas Baydoun) (1990)
Trivia
- Raised to become a Shia cleric in childhood but later converted to Marxism.
- Assassinated in his home in Beirut in 1987.
- Father of nine children and has many descendants active in arts and sciences.