Layla Balabakki (; 1936 – 21 October 2023) was a Lebanese novelist, journalist, activist and feminist. Among her most notable works is '' Ana Ahya (I Live)'' (1958) which tells the story of a woman's protest against parental authority and community leaders. Balabakki's literary work also inspired political uproar because of her public criticisms of Islam and sexually explicit stories. Balabakki was brought to trial, while her work was censored. Her desire to push back against societal values and explore alternative female identities made Balabakki a large influence on contemporary Arab feminism.

Early life and education

Born to a traditional

Shiite Muslim Shia Islam is the second-largest branch of Islam. It holds that Muhammad designated Ali ibn Abi Talib () as both his political successor (caliph) and as the spiritual leader of the Muslim community (imam). However, his right is understood ...

family in 1936, Balabakki grew up in

Beirut Beirut ( ; ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, just under half of Lebanon's population, which makes it the List of largest cities in the Levant region by populatio ...

. Throughout her adolescence, Balabakki quickly understood that female

education Education is the transmission of knowledge and skills and the development of character traits. Formal education occurs within a structured institutional framework, such as public schools, following a curriculum. Non-formal education als ...

was not valued. Despite this obstacle, she pursued

higher education Tertiary education (higher education, or post-secondary education) is the educational level following the completion of secondary education. The World Bank defines tertiary education as including universities, colleges, and vocational schools ...

at the Beirut Jesuit University where she 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 ...

. On the side, Balabakki worked as a secretary in

Lebanese Parliament The Lebanese Parliament (, ) is the unicameral national parliament of the Lebanon, Republic of Lebanon. There are 128 members elected to a four-year term in Electoral district, multi-member constituencies, apportioned among Lebanon's divers ...

. Even though Balabakki eventually left university for this job, the experience enabled her to awaken a political perspective and form her own ideas about the government's role in shaping a social culture that subjugated Arab women. Balabakki left Parliament to pursue a one-year

scholarship A scholarship is a form of Student financial aid, financial aid awarded to students for further education. Generally, scholarships are awarded based on a set of criteria such as academic merit, Multiculturalism, diversity and inclusion, athleti ...

in Europe, an experience which would later inform her ideas about

freedom Freedom is the power or right to speak, act, and change as one wants without hindrance or restraint. Freedom is often associated with liberty and autonomy in the sense of "giving oneself one's own laws". In one definition, something is "free" i ...

and

expression Expression may refer to: Linguistics * Expression (linguistics), a word, phrase, or sentence * Expression (mathematics), Symbolic description of a mathematical object * Fixed expression, a form of words with a specific meaning * Idiom, a type of ...

Notable works

In 1958, Balabakki published her first book, ''I Live'' when she was 22 years old. The protagonist, Lina Fayyad, presents a powerful first-person narrative that exhibits an acute awareness of the self and

realism Realism, Realistic, or Realists may refer to: In the arts *Realism (arts), the general attempt to depict subjects truthfully in different forms of the arts Arts movements related to realism include: *American Realism *Classical Realism *Liter ...

. In the wake of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, Lina is a bold Lebanese woman who rejects societal influences. Openly rebelling against her father and the

bourgeois The bourgeoisie ( , ) are a class of business owners, merchants and wealthy people, in general, which emerged in the Late Middle Ages, originally as a "middle class" between the peasantry and Aristocracy (class), aristocracy. They are tradition ...

class, Lina aggressively seeks liberation from her feminine identity. She finds refuge in the writings of

Sartre Jean-Paul Charles Aymard Sartre (, ; ; 21 June 1905 – 15 April 1980) was a French philosopher, playwright, novelist, screenwriter, political activist, biographer, and literary critic, considered a leading figure in 20th-century French ph ...

, exposing herself to Western literature and

existentialist Existentialism is a family of philosophical views and inquiry that explore the human individual's struggle to lead an authentic life despite the apparent absurdity or incomprehensibility of existence. In examining meaning, purpose, and value ...

thought. Despite her family's objections, Lina goes to work and to university, where she meets and falls in love with Baha, a

communist Communism () is a sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology within the socialist movement, whose goal is the creation of a communist society, a socioeconomic order centered on common ownership of the means of production, di ...

. However, Lina's intellectual ideals do not translate into her reality. In spite of her protests, Lina continues to be subject to societal expectations and eventually returns home, dejected. Through Lina's experiences, Balabakki illustrates an internal feminist experience that conflicts with external social culture. This theme continues through Balabakki's second novel, ''al-Aliha al-mamsukha (The Gods Deformed)'' (1960). Its heroine, Mira, at one point exclaims, "I've had it up to here with fathers, if he weren't dead, I'd wish he were." Quotes like these suggest that the oppressive nature of the

father figure A father figure is usually an older man, normally one with power, authority, or strength, with whom one can identify on a deeply psychology, psychological level and who generates emotions generally felt towards one's father. Despite the literal t ...

and

patriarchal society Patriarchy is a social system in which positions of authority are primarily held by men. The term ''patriarchy'' is used both in anthropology to describe a family or clan controlled by the father or eldest male or group of males, and in fem ...

function to inhibit and inspire feminist

rebellion Rebellion is an uprising that resists and is organized against one's government. A rebel is a person who engages in a rebellion. A rebel group is a consciously coordinated group that seeks to gain political control over an entire state or a ...

. In 1963, Balabakki published her first collection of short stories, ''Safinat hanan ila al-qamar (The Spaceship of Tenderness to the Moon)''. A few months later, Balabakki was charged with

obscenity An obscenity is any utterance or act that strongly offends the prevalent morality of the time. It is derived from the Latin , , "boding ill; disgusting; indecent", of uncertain etymology. Generally, the term can be used to indicate strong moral ...

and "endangering public morality". The Lebanese vice squad actually traveled to every bookstore where the book was sold to

confiscate Confiscation (from the Latin ''confiscatio'' "to consign to the ''fiscus'', i.e. transfer to the treasury") is a legal form of seizure by a government or other public authority. The word is also used, popularly, of spoliation under legal forms, ...

all remaining copies because of its erotic content. Though eventually acquitted, this controversy marked the end of Balabakki's

fictional Fiction is any creative work, chiefly any narrative work, portraying character (arts), individuals, events, or setting (narrative), places that are imagination, imaginary or in ways that are imaginary. Fictional portrayals are thus inconsistent ...

work, as she spent the remainder of literary career as a journalist in Beirut.

Activism

Balabakki was an advocate for

gender equality Gender equality, also known as sexual equality, gender egalitarianism, or equality of the sexes, is the state of equal ease of access to resources and opportunities regardless of gender, including economic participation and decision-making, an ...

freedom of expression Freedom of speech is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or a community to articulate their opinions and ideas without fear of retaliation, censorship, or legal sanction. The rights, right to freedom of expression has been r ...

, and

social reform Reformism is a type of social movement that aims to bring a social or also a political system closer to the community's ideal. A reform movement is distinguished from more radical social movements such as revolutionary movements which reject t ...

. In May 1959, Balabakki delivered her "We Without Masks" address, a speech about the socialization of Lebanese youth. She pointed how Lebanese youth grow up to "be ashamed of their bodies and to fight every sensation" that erupts from sexual curiosity. In contrast, American and European youth experience more freedom, growing up with exposure to

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977) was an American singer and actor. Referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one of the most significant cultural figures of the ...

and Seven-Up. Balabakki gave these examples hoping to inspire a social rebellion that would modernize the

state State most commonly refers to: * State (polity), a centralized political organization that regulates law and society within a territory **Sovereign state, a sovereign polity in international law, commonly referred to as a country **Nation state, a ...

Death

Layla Balabakki died on 17 October 2023, at the age of 87.لندن/ وفاة ليلى بعلبكي، الروائية اللبنانية المناضلة بمنزلها بالمهجر

Bibliography

Novels
1958 – '' Ana Ahya (I Live)''
1960 – ''Al-Aliha al-mamsukha (The Gods Deformed)'' Short Stories
1963 – ''Safinat hanan ila al-quamar (The Spaceship of Tenderness to the Moon)''

References