Sa'adi Simawe (1946 – February 19, 2017) was an

Iraqi American Iraqi Americans (Arabic: أمريكيون عراقيون) are American citizens of Iraqi descent. As of 2023, the number of Iraqi Americans is around 155,055, according to the United States Census Bureau. According to the Bureau of Citizenship ...

author, teacher and translator, who has published many articles in

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...

and

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 ...

, both original and in translation, and a novel (in Arabic) Al-Khuruj min al-Qumqum, London 1999. He was the editor of an

anthology In book publishing, an anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler; it may be a collection of plays, poems, short stories, songs, or related fiction/non-fiction excerpts by different authors. There are also thematic and g ...

of 40 writers, "Iraqi Poetry Today", published by Zephyr Press in 2003 and author of the work of cultural criticism, "Black Orpheus: Music in African American Fiction from the Harlem Renaissance to Toni Morrison", Garland 2000.

Background

Simawe was born in

Diwaniyah Al Diwaniyah ( ''ad-Dīwānīyah''), also spelt Diwaniya, is the capital city of Iraq's Al-Qādisiyyah Governorate. In 2014 the population was estimated at 700,000. Overview The area around Al Diwaniyah, which is well irrigated from the nearby Eu ...

, Iraq, in 1946. While a teenager, he was arrested, imprisoned, and beaten severely for publishing leaflets against the

Ba'ath Party The Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party ( ' ), also known simply as Bath Party (), was a political party founded in Syria by Michel Aflaq, Salah al-Din al-Bitar, and associates of Zaki al-Arsuzi. The party espoused Ba'athism, which is an ideology ...

. After six years in prison, he was freed in a political amnesty and was allowed to return to school; he completed a BA degree in English at

Al-Mustansiriya University Al-Mustansiriyah University () is a public university located in Baghdad, Iraq. It traces its origin back to 1227. The modern form of the university was founded in 1963. History The original Mustansiriya Madrasah was established in 1227 (or 12 ...

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 ...

. He graduated in June 1976 and left Iraq on a

tourist visa A visa (; also known as visa stamp) is a conditional authorization granted by a polity to a foreigner that allows them to enter, remain within, or leave its territory. Visas typically include limits on the duration of the foreigner's stay, area ...

; his mother paid a substantial fine, equivalent to approximately a year's income, when he did not return. Simawe made his way via

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

North Africa North Africa (sometimes Northern Africa) is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region. However, it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of t ...

, where he taught Arabic and English in high schools in

Libya Libya, officially the State of Libya, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to Egypt–Libya border, the east, Sudan to Libya–Sudan border, the southeast, Chad to Chad–L ...

until 1980. Simawe obtained a student visa to the USA in 1980 and traveled from

Tripoli Tripoli or Tripolis (from , meaning "three cities") may refer to: Places Greece *Tripolis (region of Arcadia), a district in ancient Arcadia, Greece * Tripolis (Larisaia), an ancient Greek city in the Pelasgiotis district, Thessaly, near Larissa ...

, Libya to

Lincoln, Nebraska Lincoln is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Nebraska. The city covers and had a population of 291,082 as of the 2020 census. It is the state's List of cities in Nebraska, second-most populous city a ...

, where he enrolled as a graduate student at the

University of Nebraska–Lincoln The University of Nebraska–Lincoln (Nebraska, NU, or UNL) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Lincoln, Nebraska, United States. Chartered in 1869 by the Nebraska Legislature as part of the M ...

. He received an MA in English from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln in 1983. The following fall he enrolled at the

University of Iowa The University of Iowa (U of I, UIowa, or Iowa) is a public university, public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is organized int ...

Iowa City Iowa City is the largest city in Johnson County, Iowa, United States, and its county seat. At the time of the 2020 census the population was 74,828, making it the state's fifth-most populous city. The Iowa City metropolitan area, which enc ...

. Simawe first completed an MA in

African-American Literature African American literature is the body of literature produced in the United States by writers of African descent. Phillis Wheatley was an enslaved African woman who became the first African American to publish a book of poetry, which was publis ...

, before going on to a

PhD A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of graduate study and original research. The name of the deg ...

in English, which he completed in 1994. He joined the faculty of

Grinnell College Grinnell College ( ) is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Grinnell, Iowa, United States. It was founded in 1846 when a group of Congregationalism in the United States, Congregationalis ...

in 1992, where he was an associate professor of English, teaching courses in African-American and Arabic literature. Simawe took a leave from teaching effective fall 2007 due to illness. As is frequently the case with Iraqi intellectuals of the most recent generation, he was unable to return to Iraq after he left in 1976, except for a two-week trip into the northern

Kurdish Kurdish may refer to: *Kurds or Kurdish people *Kurdish language ** Northern Kurdish (Kurmanji) **Central Kurdish (Sorani) **Southern Kurdish ** Laki Kurdish *Kurdish alphabets *Kurdistan, the land of the Kurdish people which includes: **Southern ...

zone after the fall of Saddam Hussein. Simawe died on February 19, 2017, in

Coralville, Iowa Coralville is a city in Johnson County, Iowa, United States. It is a suburb of Iowa City and part of the Iowa City Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 22,318 at the 2020 census. History Coralville is the location of the Edgewa ...

, from complications with

Parkinson's disease Parkinson's disease (PD), or simply Parkinson's, is a neurodegenerative disease primarily of the central nervous system, affecting both motor system, motor and non-motor systems. Symptoms typically develop gradually and non-motor issues become ...

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Simawe, Saadi 1946 births 2017 deaths Arabic–English translators Iraqi emigrants to the United States University of Nebraska–Lincoln alumni University of Iowa alumni Grinnell College faculty American Shia Muslims Iraqi Shia Muslims Iraqi translators Iraqi writers Neurological disease deaths in Iowa Deaths from Parkinson's disease in the United States Al-Mustansiriya University alumni International Writing Program alumni 20th-century translators People from Al-Qādisiyyah Governorate