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Rabih Alameddine

ラビ・アラメディン

Rabih Alameddine

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1959-01-01 （Amman, Jordan）
Nationality
Lebanese, American
Languages
English, Arabic
Religion
Atheist
Residence History
Kuwait → Lebanon → England → California, United States → San Francisco, United States → Beirut, Lebanon

Career

Occupations
Novelist, Painter, Writer
Active Years
1998-
Affiliations
University of Virginia, Creative Writing Program (instructor)

Education

University of California, Los Angeles
School of Engineering
Degree: 学士（工学）
Country: United States
Degree in engineering
Graduate program in San Francisco
Degree: Master of Business
Country: United States
Master-level business degree obtained in San Francisco

Awards

Guggenheim Fellowship
2002
Organization: John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation
Result: 受賞
California Book Awards Gold Medal (Fiction)
2014
Work: An Unnecessary Woman
Category: フィクション
Organization: Commonwealth Club of California
Result: 受賞
Arab American Book Award (Fiction)
2017
Work: The Angel of History
Category: フィクション
Organization: Arab American National Museum
Result: 受賞
Lambda Literary Award for Gay Fiction
2017
Work: The Angel of History
Category: ゲイ・フィクション
Organization: Lambda Literary
Result: 受賞
PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction
2022
Work: The Wrong End of the Telescope
Category: フィクション
Organization: PEN/Faulkner Foundation
Result: 受賞
National Book Award for Fiction
2025
Work: The True True Story of Raja the Gullible (and His Mother)
Category: フィクション
Organization: National Book Foundation
Result: 最終候補（ショートリスト）
National Book Critics Circle Award (finalist)
2014
Work: An Unnecessary Woman
Organization: National Book Critics Circle
Result: 最終候補
Sunday Times Short Story Award (shortlist)
2021
Work: The July War
Organization: The Sunday Times
Result: 最終候補

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Koolaids: The Art of War

1998 Novel

An early novel juxtaposing the AIDS epidemic in San Francisco with the Lebanese Civil War; noted for its fragmented, experimental narrative.

AIDSCivil warIdentityLoss

The Perv: Stories

1999 Short stories

A collection of short stories addressing queer desire, relationships, and transgressive characters.

SexualityDesireRelationships

I, the Divine: A Novel in First Chapters

2001 Novel

An experimental novel composed of multiple 'first chapters,' exploring memory and fragmented selfhood.

MemorySelfFragmentation

The Hakawati

2008 Novel (storytelling/epic elements)

A multi-layered novel incorporating Middle Eastern storytelling traditions, intertwining family history with folktale episodes.

StorytellingFamily historyTradition

An Unnecessary Woman

2014 Novel

Tells the life of Aaliya, a translator in Lebanon; themes include reading, solitude, and memories of war.

TranslationSolitudeWar and memoryLiterature

The Angel of History

2016 Novel

A novel told in multiple voices that traverses past and near-future; examines migration, sexuality, and trauma.

MigrationTraumaSexuality

The Wrong End of the Telescope

2021 Novel

A narrative about perspective and memory that weaves fragmented stories of war, refugees, and family.

PerspectiveMemoryRefugeesWar

Comforting Myths: Concerning the Political in Art

2024 Essay/Criticism

An essay collection concerning the relationship between art and politics, reflecting on artistic practice in political contexts.

Art and politicsCriticism

The True True Story of Raja the Gullible (and His Mother)

2025 Novel

(Details limited) A recent novel by the author exploring family and identity through storytelling.

FamilyIdentityStorytelling

Bibliography

  • Koolaids: The Art of War (1998)
  • The Perv: Stories (1999)
  • I, the Divine: A Novel in First Chapters (2001)
  • The Hakawati (2008)
  • An Unnecessary Woman (2014)
  • The Angel of History (2016)
  • The Wrong End of the Telescope (2021)
  • Comforting Myths: Concerning the Political in Art (2024)
  • The True True Story of Raja the Gullible (and His Mother) (2025)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Fragmented, experimental narrationPostmodern structuresPolyvocal narrative
Recurring Motifs
Migration and diasporaWar and traumaReading and translationSexuality and desire

Legacy

Alameddine is recognized for blending Lebanese diasporic experience, war and trauma, and queer perspectives in his work; he is considered an important contemporary voice in anglophone literature, with multiple awards and scholarly attention.

Quotes

  • "Right now in the west, Arabs are the other."
    Source: The Guardian (interview) (2015)

Trivia

  • Born in 1959 in Amman, Jordan.
  • Born to Lebanese Druze parents but identifies as an atheist.
  • Publicly identifies as gay.
  • Early notable work 'Koolaids' juxtaposes the AIDS epidemic with the Lebanese Civil War.
  • Recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship in 2002.
  • Won the California Book Awards Gold Medal for 'An Unnecessary Woman' in 2014.