Abbas Khadir (born 3 March 1973;

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

: Abbas Khider;

Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...

: عباس خضر) is a German author and poet of Iraqi origin. He was imprisoned for his

political activism Activism consists of efforts to promote, impede, direct or intervene in social, political, economic or environmental reform with the desire to make changes in society toward a perceived common good. Forms of activism range from mandate build ...

against the

regime In politics, a regime (also spelled régime) is a system of government that determines access to public office, and the extent of power held by officials. The two broad categories of regimes are democratic and autocratic. A key similarity acros ...

Saddam Hussein Saddam Hussein (28 April 1937 – 30 December 2006) was an Iraqi politician and revolutionary who served as the fifth president of Iraq from 1979 until Saddam Hussein statue destruction, his overthrow in 2003 during the 2003 invasion of Ira ...

and took refuge in a number of countries before he was granted asylum in

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

in 2000, where he continues to live. He is mostly known for his

novel A novel is an extended work of narrative fiction usually written in prose and published as a book. The word derives from the for 'new', 'news', or 'short story (of something new)', itself from the , a singular noun use of the neuter plural of ...

s written in

, for which he received several literary prizes and scholarships, including the

Adelbert von Chamisso Prize The Adelbert von Chamisso Prize () was a German literary award established in 1985, given to a work whose author's mother tongue is not German, as was the case for Adelbert von Chamisso. It was offered by the Robert Bosch Stiftung. In addition to ...

and the Berlin Prize for Literature.

Personal life

Khadir was born in

Baghdad Baghdad ( or ; , ) is the capital and List of largest cities of Iraq, largest city of Iraq, located along the Tigris in the central part of the country. With a population exceeding 7 million, it ranks among the List of largest cities in the A ...

in 1973, and has eight siblings. He was born to illiterate parents who sold

dates Date or dates may refer to: * Date, the fruit of the date palm (''Phoenix dactylifera'') * Jujube, also known as red date or Chinese date, the fruit of ''Ziziphus jujuba'' Social activity *Dating, a form of courtship involving social activit ...

for a living. By the age of 14, Khadir started reading religious books, which was the only

genre Genre () is any style or form of communication in any mode (written, spoken, digital, artistic, etc.) with socially agreed-upon conventions developed over time. In popular usage, it normally describes a category of literature, music, or other fo ...

his house possessed. He discovered his love for literature through these

religious text Religious texts, including scripture, are texts which various religions consider to be of central importance to their religious tradition. They often feature a compilation or discussion of beliefs, ritual practices, moral commandments and ...

s, realizing that they often were figurative in nature. This helped facilitate his reading and understanding of poetry. He found refuge in reading, and it opened doors to rediscovering the world. Through his readings, he "travelled" to Germany with

Franz Kafka Franz Kafka (3 July 1883 – 3 June 1924) was a novelist and writer from Prague who was Jewish, Austrian, and Czech and wrote in German. He is widely regarded as a major figure of 20th-century literature. His work fuses elements of Litera ...

, to Russia with

Alexander Pushkin Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin () was a Russian poet, playwright, and novelist of the Romantic era.Basker, Michael. Pushkin and Romanticism. In Ferber, Michael, ed., ''A Companion to European Romanticism''. Oxford: Blackwell, 2005. He is consid ...

, and to France with

Charles Baudelaire Charles Pierre Baudelaire (, ; ; 9 April 1821 – 31 August 1867) was a French poet, essayist, translator and art critic. His poems are described as exhibiting mastery of rhythm and rhyme, containing an exoticism inherited from the Romantics ...

. Despite being educated, none of Khadir's siblings had an interest in literature, except for his sisters and the literary critic, Saleh Zamel, a spouse to one of his sisters. Khadir spent most of his time reading in Zamel's library. There, Khadir discovered many new writers whom he later met personally. He confessed that his love for reading and the inspiration by the works of different authors initially started his desire to write.

Education

During his stay in Germany, Khadir gained the necessary qualifications in order to be admitted to university. In five years’ time, he successfully completed studying in three different educational institutions: an Arabic school, an

online school An online school (virtual school, e-school, or cyber-school) teaches students entirely or primarily online or through the Internet. Online education exists all around the world and is used for all levels of education (K-12 High school/secondar ...

, and a

college-preparatory school A college-preparatory school (often shortened to prep school, preparatory school, college prep school or college prep academy) is a type of secondary school. The term refers to state school, public, Independent school, private independent or p ...

. He then enrolled in the

University of Munich The Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (simply University of Munich, LMU or LMU Munich; ) is a public university, public research university in Munich, Bavaria, Germany. Originally established as the University of Ingolstadt in 1472 by Duke ...

and

University of Potsdam The University of Potsdam is a public university in Potsdam, capital of the state of Brandenburg, northeastern Germany. The university is mainly situated across three campuses in the city. Some faculty buildings are part of the New Palace o ...

, where he studied

literature Literature is any collection of Writing, written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially novels, Play (theatre), plays, and poetry, poems. It includes both print and Electroni ...

and

philosophy Philosophy ('love of wisdom' in Ancient Greek) is a systematic study of general and fundamental questions concerning topics like existence, reason, knowledge, Value (ethics and social sciences), value, mind, and language. It is a rational an ...

Career

Before arriving in Germany, Khadir earned his living with temporary jobs. Upon being granted asylum in Germany, he started his writing profession. In addition to the monetary and institutional support, Khadir was awarded literary prizes and scholarships, which expanded his audience. In 2014 and in cooperation with other writers, Khadir organized the “Cairo Short Stories” writers’ workshop for outstanding young writers at the

Goethe-Institut The Goethe-Institut (; GI, ''Goethe Institute'') is a Nonprofit organization, nonprofit German culture, cultural organization operational worldwide with more than 150 cultural centres, promoting the study of the German language abroad and en ...

in Egypt. Out of the 108 participants who submitted their

short stories A short story is a piece of prose fiction. It can typically be read in a single sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the old ...

, eleven candidates were shortlisted, and three won. The goal of the workshop was to assist the candidates in their development process as writers by giving them advice. In return, Khadir and the other writers learned about the candidates’ experience as writers who are influenced by both

and

Arab culture Arab culture is the culture of the Arabs, from the Atlantic Ocean in the west to the Arabian Sea in the east, in a region of the Middle East and North Africa known as the Arab world. The various religions the Arabs have adopted throughout Histor ...

. In 2017, when he was nominated for the

Mainzer Stadtschreiber The Mainzer Stadtschreiber (City clerk in Mainz) is an annual German literature award. It is awarded by ZDF, 3sat and the city of Mainz and was founded in 1984. The award is endowed with €12,500. Additionally the laureate receives the right to l ...

literary award, Khadir completed two additional

manuscript A manuscript (abbreviated MS for singular and MSS for plural) was, traditionally, any document written by hand or typewritten, as opposed to mechanically printed or reproduced in some indirect or automated way. More recently, the term has ...

s, one of which was a humorous exploration of the German language, and the other a novel. Further, Khadir has been hosting a number of reading projects in European and non-European countries.

His arrest

During his high school years, Khadir got involved with people and political activities that opposed the

, the

dictator A dictator is a political leader who possesses absolute Power (social and political), power. A dictatorship is a state ruled by one dictator or by a polity. The word originated as the title of a Roman dictator elected by the Roman Senate to r ...

of Iraq at the time. He sold books that were banned by the government, to which he attached leaflets containing his own writings. Consequently, he was arrested and sentenced to two years’ imprisonment from 1993 to 1995. In 1996, he fled to Jordan, and later moved to a number of

Mediterranean countries The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern Eur ...

, including Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Turkey, Greece and Italy, in which he stayed as an undocumented refugee and lived off temporary jobs. In 2000, he was arrested upon his arrival in Germany by a Bavarian border police officer, and, as per the German asylum law in effect at the time, was prohibited from leaving the country.

His writings

Most of Khadir's writings are based on personal experiences and the experiences of those whom he encountered in life. He gave refugees in Germany a literary voice. His novels explore the gendered nature of power systems, the Kafkaesque dynamics of

bureaucracy Bureaucracy ( ) is a system of organization where laws or regulatory authority are implemented by civil servants or non-elected officials (most of the time). Historically, a bureaucracy was a government administration managed by departments ...

and the notion of the refugee as the ultimate biopolitical subject. Khadir's originality is reflected in his form and content, and he has expressed concepts, such as self-protection and resistance, in a humorous tone. This led some German critics to describe Khadir as a writer who is committed to stories about outcasts. For instance, in his second novel, ''The President's Oranges'', Khadir describes prisons in Iraq during Saddam Hussein's rule. In his third novel, ''Letter to the Aubergine Republic'', he narrates the journey of a love letter sent by an exiled Salim in Libya to his beloved Samia in

Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...

. Khadir cleverly used the code-name "

Aubergine Eggplant ( US, CA, AU, PH), aubergine ( UK, IE, NZ), brinjal ( IN, SG, MY, ZA, SLE), or baigan ( IN, GY) is a plant species in the nightshade family Solanaceae. ''Solanum melongena'' is grown worldwide for its edible fruit, typica ...

Republic" to refer to Iraq at a time the eggplant was the most prevalent food in the country. As of 2019, his novels ''A Slap in the Face ''and ''The Village Indian'' have been published in English translations.

Works

Novels

* ''The Village Indian''. Translated by Donal McLaughlin, Seagull Books, 2019. (original title in German: ''Der falsche Inder)'', Edition Nautilus, Hamburg, 2008. * "The President's Oranges” (original title in German: ''Die Orangen des Präsidenten''), Edition Nautilus, Hamburg, 2011. * "Letter to the Aubergine Republic" (original title in German: ''Brief in die Auberginenrepublik''), Edition Nautilus, Hamburg 2013. * ''A Slap in the Face. ''Translated by Simon Pare, Seagull Books, 2018. (original title in German: Ohrfeige''), Carl Hanser Verkag, 2016. * “Palace of the Miserables” (original title in German: ''Palast der Miserablen''), Carl Hanser Verlag, Munich, 2020. * "The memory-faker" (original title in German: ''Der Erinnerungsfälscher'')

Non-fiction

* “German for everyone" (original title: ''Deutsch für alle.'' ''Das endgültige Lehrbuch''),

Carl Hanser Verlag The Carl Hanser Verlag was founded in 1928 by Carl Hanser in Munich and is one of the few medium-sized publishing companies in the German-speaking area still owned by the founding family. History From the very beginning, the publishing house h ...

, Munich, 2020. As a result of the public's constant demand, Khadir compiled numerous stories and lessons on how to develop a cosmopolitan outlook and humor in this book. Khadir went from knowing only three German words (''Hitler'', ''Scheiße'' and ''Lufthansa'') to reading

philosopher Philosophy ('love of wisdom' in Ancient Greek) is a systematic study of general and fundamental questions concerning topics like existence, reason, knowledge, Value (ethics and social sciences), value, mind, and language. It is a rational an ...

s, like

Kant Immanuel Kant (born Emanuel Kant; 22 April 1724 – 12 February 1804) was a German philosopher and one of the central Enlightenment thinkers. Born in Königsberg, Kant's comprehensive and systematic works in epistemology, metaphysics, et ...

Hegel Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel (27 August 1770 – 14 November 1831) was a 19th-century German idealism, German idealist. His influence extends across a wide range of topics from metaphysical issues in epistemology and ontology, to political phi ...

and Hölderlin. In his

satire Satire is a genre of the visual, literary, and performing arts, usually in the form of fiction and less frequently non-fiction, in which vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, often with the intent of exposin ...

, he answers curious questions about the grammatical rules of the

German language German (, ) is a West Germanic language in the Indo-European language family, mainly spoken in Western Europe, Western and Central Europe. It is the majority and Official language, official (or co-official) language in Germany, Austria, Switze ...

, such as the reason

adjective An adjective (abbreviations, abbreviated ) is a word that describes or defines a noun or noun phrase. Its semantic role is to change information given by the noun. Traditionally, adjectives are considered one of the main part of speech, parts of ...

s are changed to match the

noun In grammar, a noun is a word that represents a concrete or abstract thing, like living creatures, places, actions, qualities, states of existence, and ideas. A noun may serve as an Object (grammar), object or Subject (grammar), subject within a p ...

, and the reason behind the multiplicity of German

prepositions Adpositions are a class of words used to express spatial or temporal relations (''in, under, towards, behind, ago'', etc.) or mark various semantic roles (''of, for''). The most common adpositions are prepositions (which precede their complemen ...

. He sees this "texbook" to be the first step to changing the world, and, by using a satirical tone, brings forth a new style of the German language for

expats An expatriate (often shortened to expat) is a person who resides outside their native country. The term often refers to a professional, skilled worker, or student from an affluent country. However, it may also refer to retirees, artists and ...

migrants Migrant is a term that may refer to: Human migration *Human migration, including: **Emigration, leaving one's resident country with the intent to settle elsewhere. 1988 Webster's Definition. One who migrates, esp. from 1 region to another in sear ...

and

Germans Germans (, ) are the natives or inhabitants of Germany, or sometimes more broadly any people who are of German descent or native speakers of the German language. The Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany, constitution of Germany, imple ...

themselves.

Awards

Prizes

, promotional prizes, 2010 * Hilde Domin Prize, 2013 *

Nelly Sachs Prize The Nelly Sachs Prize (German: ''Nelly Sachs Preis'') is a literary prize given every two years by the German city of Dortmund. Named after the Jewish poet and Nobel laureate Nelly Sachs, the prize includes a cash award of €15,000. It honours ...

, 2013 * Spycher Prize, 2016 *

, 2017 *

, 2017 * Berlin Prize for Literature, 2025

Scholarships

* Alfred Döblin Scholarship, 2009 * German Literature Fund working grant, 2010 * Robert Bosch Foundation working grant, 2011 * Villa Aurora scholarship, 2011 * Edenkoben Künstlerhaus Scholarship, 2013 * Cross-border commuter scholarship, 2013 * London Scholarship, 2013 * Berlin Senate Scholarship, 2015 * Comburg Literature Scholarship, 2019 * German Literature Fund working grant, 2019

Lectureships

* Poetics lecture at the

University of Koblenz and Landau The University of Koblenz and Landau () was a German public university located in Koblenz and Landau, Rhineland-Palatinate, which primarily focused on teacher education. After starting to reform its teacher education in the 1960s, Rhineland-Pa ...

, 2013. * Visiting lecturer at

Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf ( HHU; ), named after German poet Heinrich Heine, is a public university in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, which was founded in 1965. It is the successor organization to Düsseldorf's Medical Academy of ...

, 2016.

Literature

* Coury, David N., and Karolin Machtans. ''Abbas Khider''. Peter Lang Ltd. International Academic Publishers, 2021.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Khadir, Abbas Living people 1973 births German people of Iraqi descent Iraqi male writers 21st-century Iraqi novelists German male novelists 21st-century Iraqi poets 20th-century Iraqi poets Iraqi philosophers Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich alumni University of Potsdam alumni