Personal Info
- Country of residence: Palestine
Information
Ghareeb Askelani (April 4, 1948-June 21, 2022), whose real name was Ibrahim Abdel-Jabbar Al-Zant, was a Palestinian writer and novelist. He was president of the Palestinian Writers Union from 1987 to 2005. He also participated in the Encyclopedia of Modern Palestinian Literature issued by the Prota Project.
Ibrahim Abd al-Jabbar al-Zant was born in Majdal Ashkelon on April 4, 1948 AD, and his father worked as a grain and food merchant. His family was displaced during the Nakba of 1948 to the Shati refugee camp in Gaza City. He received his primary education at Hashim Bin Abd Manaf School (Al-Hashimiyyah), he also studied preparatory school at the New Gaza School for Refugees in Al-Shati refugee camp, and finished his secondary education from Palestine School in 1965 AD. He completed his university studies at the Faculty of Agriculture at Assiut University, then moved to Alexandria University, where he obtained a bachelor's degree in agricultural economics in 1969 AD. The Israeli occupation refused Ibrahim's return to the Gaza Strip after the setback of 1967, so he traveled to Jordan and joined the ranks of the Fatah movement in 1970 AD, and then moved to Syria, where he worked in the Euphrates Basin Investment Corporation in northern Syria.
He then returned to the Gaza Strip, through a request for family unification, and upon his return, he worked as a teacher for high school students from 1974 until 1994 AD. He obtained a postgraduate diploma from the Institute of Research and Islamic Studies in Cairo in 1983.
He worked as a director of literary creativity, after the signing of the Oslo Accords and the establishment of the Palestinian National Authority, in the Palestinian Ministry of Culture. He was also the media spokesperson for the Palestine International Book Fair, and director of the Cultural Media Department. He participated in many cultural activities in Palestine and abroad, and he represented Palestine in the spring season of Palestinian culture. In Paris in 1997 AD. He also participated in a series of volunteer work since 1976 AD, which was organized by the Palestine Red Crescent Society with many municipalities and universities in the West Bank and the lands of 1948. He was also president of the Palestinian Writers Union from 1987 until 2005 AD.
Ibrahim participated in short stories in more than one joint collection in Arabic, English, French and Spanish, as well as in the Encyclopedia of Modern Palestinian Literature in the United States in both Arabic and English, issued by the Prota Project and supervised by Dr. Salma Al-Khadra Al-Jayyousi.
He won the Short Story Prize from Bethlehem University in 1977, and the Short Story Prize from the Palestinian Writers Union. In 2016, President Mahmoud Abbas awarded him the Palestinian Medal of Culture, Science and Arts, of the “Innovation” degree.
It is also mentioned that he chose his literary name Ghareeb Askelani. Because he was born in the city of Ashkelon, so he is Ashkelonian, and he is a stranger because he was abandoned with his family during the Nakba.
He published a number of novels, including:
"The Ring's Novel"
"Attention Time" in 1996 AD.
“Najma Al-Nawati” in 1999.
"Dry Throat" 1999 AD.
"The Time of Dahmous Al-Aghbar" in 2001 AD.
“Nights of the Lunar Months” in 2001 AD.
He also published a number of stories, including:
“Breaking the Silence” in 1979 AD.
A collection of stories about rose buds in 1991.
"The Seagull Heads North" in 1996 AD.
Achievements and Awards
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