Mohammed Asfour

Mohammed Asfour
Born	1940 (85–86) Haifa, Palestine
🏳️ Nationality	Jordan
🏫 Education	Baghdad University
💼 Occupation

Mohammed Hassan Mohammed Asfour is an academic, researcher, translator, critic and Jordanian poet born in Haifa in 1940. He teaches English literature and translation at the University of Jordan and the University of Philadelphia.

He studied English at Baghdad University and received a bachelor's degree in 1964. He completed a master's degree at Indiana University in the United States of America in 1970. He received his Ph.D. in English Literature from Indiana University in 1973. Asfour was head of the English department at the University of Jordan for 8 years, from 1982. He also served as deputy dean of the Faculty of Arts, and then dean. Asfour's literary interests included university students in bachelor's, master's, and doctoral programs, studying poetry, drama, literary criticism, European literature, comparative literature, 18th and 19th-century literature, 20th-century literature, as well as teaching creative writing, oratory, controversy, and literary taste.

Awards

Mohammed Asfour received numerous awards for his literary work and contributions to literary criticism, translation, and the Arabic language. In 1964, he received the Iraqi Prime Minister's Award for first place in the Department of English at Baghdad University. He was subsequently re-established at the University of Jordan, completing his master's and doctoral degrees from Indiana University between 1967 and 1973. He also received the Kuwait Award for Scientific Progress for Best Translated Book in 1983, and a University of Philadelphia Certificate in recognition of outstanding works in Arabic translation in 2004. He was also awarded the Jordanian State Award for Translation in 2012.

Translation Works

1. "Rejection", short story by Franz Kafka Oil Workers (May 1965), 22–23.
2. "Censorship of Cinema in Different Countries" by different writers, Dialogue (January-February 1966), 135–149.
3. "William Howells" in three centuries of literature, under the supervision of Forster and Fook, selected and supervised by Jabra Ibrahim Jabra (Beirut: House of the Library of Life, 1967) Part 3, p. 17–33.
4. "Lifeboat" by Stephen Crane, former source, p. 206–240.
5. Fishermen in Narrow Street, Novel by Jabra Ibrahim Jabra, Beirut, House of Literature, 1974. The translation has been published in several other editions.
6. "Elixir of Life", story by Richard Garnett, Scientific Culture (November 1980), 4–8.
7. Primitive, Editing by Ashley Montagu, Kuwait, National Council for Culture, Arts and Literature, 1982.
8. Critical Concepts, by Rania Wolk, Kuwait, National Council for Culture, Arts and Literature, 1987.
9. Does humanity win its battle? Report of the Independent Commission on Humanitarian Issues of the United Nations (Amman: 1989).
10. Biology, Anthropology and Human Nature, by Stephen Rose et al. Mustafa Ibrahim Fahmy and Mohammed Asfour Review (Kuwait: National Council for Culture, Arts and Literature, 1990).
11. "Love in the Time of Cholera", Foreign Culture Magazine (Kuwait).
12. "Elliot and Cortius", Foreign Culture Magazine (Kuwait).
13. "Ingmar Bergman File", Foreign Culture Magazine (Kuwait).
14. "American Literature", Foreign Culture Magazine (Kuwait).
15. "Scientific Books of the Year", Journal of Foreign Culture (Kuwait).
16. Anatomy of Criticism, by Northerb Fry, Amman, University of Jordan, 1991.
17. Genius, Creativity and Leadership, by Dean Keith Simonten, Translated by Abdul Hamid Shaker, Review by Mohammed Asfour, Kuwait, National Council for Culture, Arts and Literature, 1993.
18. Oral and Written, by Walter J. Aung, Translated by Hassan al-Banna Ezzedine, Review by Mohammed Asfour, Kuwait, National Council for Culture, Arts and Literature, 1994.
19. Structuralism and Beyond, edited by John Struck, Kuwait, National Council for Culture, Arts and Literature, 1996).
20. "The Andalusian Garden: A Study of Its Symbolic Significance," by James Ducky, published in a book edited by Dr. Salma Al-Khadra Al-Jayousi.
21. Introduction to Dr. Salma Al-Khadra Al-Jayousi's book Anthology of Palestinian Literature (Beirut: Arab Foundation for Studies and Publishing, 1997), p. 1–100.
22. Modern Social Theory, by Ian Crepe, Translated by Mohammed Hussein Gholum, Review by Mohammed Asfour, Kuwait, National Council for Culture, Arts and Literature, 1999.
23. Dawn of Modern Science, by Toby Heff, Kuwait, National Council for Culture, Arts and Literature, 2000).
24. Turks, English and Moroccans in the Age of Exploration, by Nabil Matar, Beirut, Arab Foundation for Studies and Publishing, 2012.
25. The Zionist Cause, by Jacqueline Rose, Cairo, National Translation Center, 2007.
26. Forster and Imperial Politics, by Mohamed Shaheen, Cairo, Supreme Sensor of Culture, 2009.
27. The Novel and the Nation, by Patrik Parnder (Cairo: The Supreme Sensor of Culture, 2009)
28. Genalogia religion: Control and causes of power in Christianity and Islam, by Talal Assad, Beirut, New Book House, 2014
29. World, Text and Critic, by Edouard Said (to be released soon)
30. The Rocks of Time: Science and Religion in The Fullness of Life, by Stephen J. Gold, Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi Culture Authority 2010
31. Learn confidently, by Dagles Limov. Amman: Queen Rania Teachers' Training Academy,

Arabic Works

1. "Two Attitudes towards Free Poetry", Literature (August 1964), 61–62.
2. "Fishermen on a Narrow Street", Etiquette (June 1974), 38–41.
3. "Maher Al-Batouti distorts the image of Joyce" Foreign Literature (July 1976), 290–297.
4. "The Image of Islam and Muslims in Western Literature until the 18th Century", Intellectual (January-March 1978), 135–154. The research was republished in Islamic studies, an anthology published in the journal World of Thought in 1984.
5. "Meaning in Poetry", Thoughts (June 1978), 68–75.
6. "Singers in the Shadows" (Study of a Story of Jabra), Ideas (September 1978), 169–174.
7. "Notes on the Short Story in Jordan", 3rd Annual Festival of the Jordanian Writers Association: Poetry and Story Supplement (Amman: Publications of the Jordanian Writers Association, 1980), p. 133-143
8. "The Mythical Structure in Screaming in a Long Night", literary and historical chapters of a group of scholars and writers dedicated to Nasser al-Din al-Assad, edited by Hussein Atwan (Beirut: Dar al-Jil, 1993), p. 401–416. Republished in Anxiety and Glorification of Life: A Book Honoring Jabra Ibrahim Jabra, edited by Abdel Rahman Munif (Beirut: Arab Foundation for Studies and Publishing, 1995) p. 112–124.
9. "The Western Impact on Chebbi's Poetry and Criticism", Abu Qasim Chebbi Course: Symposium Research and Facts (Kuwait: Abdul Aziz Saud Al-Babtain Prize foundation for poetic creativity, 1996), p. 197–223.
10. "Jabra Ibrahim Jabra Poet", Critical Studies in the Works of Sayab, Hawi, Denkel, Jabra, Editing by Fakhri Saleh (Beirut: Arab Foundation for Studies and Publishing, 1996), p. 137–183. The research was also published in a book in The Mihrab of Knowledge: Studies dedicated to Ihsan Abbas, edited by Ibrahim Al-Sa'adin (Beirut: Dar Sader and Dar al-Gharb Al-Islami, 1997), p. 369–408.
11. "Psalms of the Fugitive Rebel: Mahmoud Darwish and the Crisis of the Palestinian Poet", Zaytouna Al-Exile: Studies in Mahmoud Darwish's Poetry, Editing by Grace Samawi (Beirut: Arab Foundation for Studies and Publishing, 1998), p. 107–124.
12. "The History of Jabra's Relationship: Professor and Friend", New in the World of Books and Libraries, Issue 2 (Spring 1994), p. 20–21.
13. Conditions of scientific research in Jordanian higher education institutions 1962–1989, with a group of researchers (Amman: Al-Bayt University, 1997 )
14. "Big Being: A Study of The Search for Walid Masood", Studies, Special Issue (2001), p. 1-16
15. Communication skills in Arabic (with others). Jazan (Amman: University of Jordan Press, 1999.)
16. "Mahmoud Seifeddine of Iran", research prepared on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of his death,
17. "Mahmoud Al-Samra and European Literature" Mahmoud Al-Samra, critic, intellectual and human being, written by Khalil Al-Sheikh and others, Amman: Abdul Hamid Shoman Foundation and Beirut: Arab Foundation for Studies and Publishing, 2002, p. 51–67.
18. "Ihsan Abbas Translated”, A year to leave for a group of researchers. (Oman: Ministry of Culture, 2007)P. 209–233.
19. "Who takes and who gives in translation and why?", Translation and Interaction of Cultures: Research Workshop, Group of Researchers (Cairo: Supreme Council of Culture, 2004), p. 901–925.
20. "Jabra's Political Poetry" (published in a recent issue of the Cultural Journal of the University of Jordan)
21. "The Impact of Translation in Arabic", Sharjah University Journal of Forensic and Human Sciences, Volume 4, Issue 2 (June 2007), p. 195–216.
22. Studies in translation and criticism (Beirut: Arab Foundation for Studies and Publishing, 2009)
23. Nargis and Al-Maraya: A Study of Jabra Ibrahim Jabra's Creative Writings (Beirut: Arab Foundation for Studies and Publishing, 2009)
24. Numbering in Arabic (Oman: Dar al-Baraka, 2009)
25. "Successive chandeliers, a continuation of the stars of heaven: Jabra Ibrahim Jabra and Jerusalem." Cultural Magazine, Issue 76 (2009), p. 20–31.
26. "Mohammed Adnan Al-Bakhit's Contribution to Planning and Editing the Book of Human History", Mohammed Adnan Al-Bakhit: Historian, Documenter, Professor and Founder, for a number of writers (Beirut: Abdelhamid Shoman Foundation and Arab Foundation for Studies and Publishing, 2010), p. 315–337.
27. "Interdisciplinary Studies in the Humanities", Journal of Literature: A Well-Established Scientific Journal issued by King Saud University, Volume 25, Issue 2 (May 2013), p. 231–240.
28. "Mahmoud Darwish Nathra".

English Works and Researches

1. “Motivation in The Cenci,” Dirasat (May 1975), pp. 19–35.
2. “Islam in Southey’s Epics,” Dirasat (December 1978), pp. 7–37.
3. “Some Aspects of the Influence of English Poetry on Arabic Poetry,” Dirasat (May 1979), pp. 37–47.
4. Notes on Rasselas (London: Longman York Press, 1981).
5. “Cultural Barriers in Teaching English Literature to Arab Students,” Papers from the First Conference on the Problems of Teaching English Language and Literature at Arab Universities, ed. M. H. Ibrahim and Eid Dahiyat (Amman: University of Jordan, 1983), pp. 78–92.
6. “’The Letter Killeth’: A Study of The Merchant of Venice,” Dirasat, XII.8 (1985), 7-18.
7. “Acting in Hamlet,” Dirasat XII.8 (1985), 13–30.
8. “The Politics of Love,” Dirasat XIII.1 (1985), 7-18.
9. “Literary Prophecy,” Abhath al-Yarmouk IV.1 (1986), 7-18.
10. “Thomas Moore and the Pitfalls of Orientalism,” International Journal of Islamic and Arabic Studies X.1 (1987), 75–92.
11. The Fourth International Conference on the History of Bilad al-Sham During the Byzantine Period, vol. II, ed. With Adnan al-Bakhit (Amman: 1986).
12. Arabic in Three Months (London: Hugo Language Books, 1990).
13. Reading On: An Anthology for Students of Literature (London: Prentice-Hall, 1990).
14. “Jabra’s English Poetry,” Dirasat (Special Issue, August 1999), pp. 19–33.
15. Communication Skills (with others), 2 vols. (Amman: University of Jordan, 1999).
16. “The Translation of Poetry: An Example from Nazik al-Mala’ika,” From Silence to Sound, ed. Mohammad Shaheen, (Beirut: Dar al-Gharb al-Islami, 2000), pp. 458–508.
17. “Ibn Battuta,” The Literature of Travel and Exploration: An Encyclopedia. 3 vols. (London: Dearborn Publishers, 2003), pp. 577–578.
18. “Deconstructive Reading,” IJAEAS 3: 1& 2 (December 2002), pp. 45–53.
19. "Problems in Modern English-Arabic Lexicography,” Journal of Arabic Linguistics 42 (2003):41-52.
20. "The Translation of Names,” Turjuman ( Turjuman, forthcoming).
21. The Influence of Translation on Arabic,” University of Sharjah Journal for Shari’a Sciences and Humanities, vol. 4, No. 2 (June 2007), 195–216. This essay has been translated into Turkish and published recently in Şarkiyat Mecmuasi, Sayi xix (2011-2012), pp. 172–196.

External Links

• Mohammed Asfour's page on the University of Philadelphia website
• Al-Sharq al-Asfour newspaper interview with Mohammed Asfour
• Mohammed Asfour's page on the Website of the Jordanian Ministry of Culture

References

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