Said Akl

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Said Akl سعيد عقل
Born	(1911-07-04) 4 July 1911 Zahlé, Lebanon
Occupation	Poet, writer, playwright, linguist and ideologue

Said Akl (Arabic: سعيد عقل‎, also transliterated Saïd Akl, Said Aql and Saeed Akl (born July 4, 1911)^[1] is a Lebanese poet, writer, playwright and language reformer. He is considered one of the most important modern Lebanese poets. He is also a staunch advocate of Lebanese identity and nationalism and the Lebanese language, designing a Latin-based "Lebanese alphabet" made up of 37 letters. His writings include poetry and prose both in Lebanese dialect and in classical Arabic language. He has also written theatre pieces and authored many popular songs and pan-Arab anthems.

Early life

Akl was born to a Maronite Catholic family in the city of Zahlé, Lebanon. After losing his father at the age of 15, he had to drop out of school and later worked as a teacher and then as a journalist. He then studied theology, literature and Islamic history, becoming a university instructor and subsequently lecturing in a number of Lebanese universities, educational and policy institutes.

Ideology

During his early years, Akl was an adherent of the Syrian Social Nationalist Party (in Arabic الحزب السوري القومي الإجتماعي) led by Antun Saadeh, eventually being expelled by Saadeh due to irreconcilable ideological disputes.^[2]

Akl adopted a powerful doctrine of the authentic millennial character of Lebanon resonating with an exalted sense of Lebanese dignity. His admiration to the Lebanese history and culture was marked by strong enmity towards the Arab language and culture. This view is crystallized by Akl once stating “I would cut off my right hand just not to be an Arab”.^[2] In 1968 he stated that literary Arabic would vanish from Lebanon.^[3]

For Akl Lebanon was the cradle of culture and the inheritor of the Oriental civilization, well before the arrival of the Arabs on the historical stage.^[2] He emphasized the Phoenician legacy of the Lebanese people.

He is known for his radical Lebanese nationalistic sentiments; in 1972, he helped found the Lebanese Renewal Party (in Arabic حزب التجدّد اللبناني transliterated as Hizb al Tajaddod al Lubnaani) which was proposed by May Murr, a well known writer and researcher of ancient Lebanese history and a staunch supporter of Akl. This party was a non-sectarian party that adhered to Lebanese Nationalism. During the Lebanese Civil War, Akl served as the spiritual leader of the radical Lebanese Nationalist movement Guardians of the Cedars (in Arabic حرّاس الأرز), which was led by Étienne Saqr.^[2]

Lebanese language and alphabet

Said Akl's book Yara and an excerpt from the book in his proposed Lebanese alphabet

Akl is an ideologue for promotion of the Lebanese language as independent of Arabic language. Although acknowledging the influence of Arabic, he argued that Lebanese language was equally if not more influenced by Phoenician languages as well as Aramaic language and Syriac languages and promoted the use of the Lebanese dialect written in a modified Latin alphabet, rather than the Arabic one.^[4]

His designed alphabet for the Lebanese language used the Latin alphabet in addition to a few newly designed letters and some accented Latin letters to suit the Lebanese phonology. The proposed Lebanese alphabet designed by Akl contained 36 letters.^[5]

Yara and Khumasiyyat

He published his poetry book Yara completely using his proposed Lebanese alphabet, thus becoming the first book ever to be published in this form. In later years, he also published his poetry book Khumasiyyat in the same alphabet.

Lebnaan newspaper

LEBNAAN in proposed Said Akl alphabet (issue #686)

He published the tabloid newspaper Lebnaan using the Lebanese dialect. It was published in two versions, لبنان (transliteration and pronunciation Lubnan which means Lebanon in Arabic language) using Lebanese dialect written in traditional Arabic alphabet, the other Lebnaan (Lebanese Arabic for Lebanon) in his proposed Lebanese Latin-based alphabet.

Said Akl Awards

Starting in the 1970s Akl offered a prize to whoever authored the best essay in Lebanese Arabic. Since then the Said Akl awards have been granted to many Lebanese intellectuals and artists.^[2]

Works

Akl has numerous writings ranging from theatrical plays, epics, poetry and song lyrics. His first published work was released in 1935, a theatrical play written in Arabic. His works are written in either Lebanese Arabic, literary Arabic, or French. He is also known for writing lyrics of many well-known songs, including "Zahrat al Madaen" (in Arabic زهرة المدائن) sung by Fairuz.

1935: Bint Yifta' (theater) - (in Arabic بنت يفتاح)
1937: Al Majdaliyyah (Epic) - (in Arabic المجدليّة)
1944: Qadmos (theater) - (in Arabic قدموس)
1950: Rindalah - (in Arabic رندلى)
1954: Mushkilat al Nukhba - (in Arabic مشكلة النخبة)
1960: Ajmal minki...? La! - (in Arabic !أجمل منك...؟ لا
1960: Lubnaan in haka - (in Arabic لبنان إن حكى)
1961: Ka's el Khamr (in Arabic كأس الخمر)
1961: Yara (using his designed Lebanese alphabet) (in Arabic يارا)
1961: Ajraas al Yasmeen (in Arabic أجراس الياسمين)
1972: Kitab al Ward (in Arabic كتاب الورد)
1979: Qasaed min Daftari (in Arabic قصائد من دفتري)
1974: Kama al A'mida (in Arabic كما الأعمدة)
1978: Khumasiyyat (using his designed Lebanese alphabet) (in Arabic خماسيّات)

In 1981 he also published poems in French

In popular culture

Anthems

Akl proposed the lyrics for an anthem for the pan-Syrian Syrian Social Nationalist Party, but this was rejected by its founder Antun Saadeh, who proposed another anthem for the party that he had written in prison.
Akl wrote the anthem of another pan-Arab movement, Jam'iyyat al Uruwwa al Wuthqa (in Arabic جمعية العروة الوثقى).

Songwriting

Akl has also written poems that were turned into pan-Arab anthem songs with music from the Rahbani Brothers and sung by the Lebanese diva Feyrouz. These include "Zahrat al Madaen" (in Arabic زهرة المدائن) about Palestine, "Ghannaytou Makkah" (in Arabic غنّيتُ مكة ) about Islam and "Saailiini ya Sham" (in Arabic سائليني يا شام ) about Syria.

Media

In the 1990s Akl wrote a front-page personal column in the Lebanese As-Safir newspaper

References

Authority control	VIAF: 100306641 BNF: cb13478097v

Persondata
Name	Akl, Said
Alternative names
Short description	Poet
Date of birth	July 4, 1911
Place of birth	Zahlé, Lebanon
Date of death
Place of death

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike; additional terms may apply for the media files.