Omar Abu-Riche (Arabic: عمر أبو ريشة; 10 April 1910 – 15 July 1990), also spelled Omar Ab(o)u Risha, Abu Risheh, was a Syrian ambassador and writer, known for his poetic works.
Omar Abou-Richeh عمر أبو ريشة | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 4th Ambassador of Syria to the United States | |
| In office 1961–1964 | |
| Preceded by | Farid Zayn Al-Din |
| Succeeded by | Sabah Qabbani |
| Personal details | |
| Born | April 10, 1910 Manbij, Syria |
| Died | July 15, 1990 (aged 80) Riyadh, Saudi Arabia |
| Spouse | Mounira Abou-Richeh |
| Children | Chafe Abou-Richeh, Rafif Abou-Richeh Mattar, Rif Abou-Richeh |
| Residence(s) | Beirut, Riyadh |
| Profession | Syrian ambassador, poet |
Biography
editAbu-Riche was born into a wealthy literary family in Manbij, near Aleppo. He received his educational upbringing in Syria and continued his tertiary studies at the University of Damascus. He also studied at the American University in Beirut in 1931 and later read chemistry at the University of Manchester but returned to Syria in 1932.
While initially a fan of Abbasid poetry, he later looked for more independent voices in poetry and considered Shakespeare's Venus and Adonis to be the greatest love poem ever written. His favorite poets were Charles Baudelaire and Edgar Allan Poe. He wrote the poem Khatam al-Hub (The End of Love) and produced literary works while attending to his duties as librarian of Aleppo, Syria.[1] His works included several volumes of poetry and poetic dramas.
In 1949, the Syrian government appointed him ambassador to Brazil. As a diplomat until 1964, he was ambassador to Argentina, Chile, India, Austria, and finally the United States.[2]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Moubayed, Sami M. (2006). Steel & Silk: Men and Women who Shaped Syria 1900-2000. Cune Press. pp. 512–513. ISBN 978-1-885942-41-8.
- ^ "ʿUmar Abū Rīshah | Arabic Poet, Diplomat, Scholar | Britannica". www.britannica.com. 2024-01-26. Retrieved 2024-03-21.
Further reading
edit- Najjar, Ashwaq Mohammed Ismail (2018-11-09). "Text and impact of standards in a poem my nation of Omar Abu Risha". Alustath Journal for Human and Social Sciences. 218 (1): 1–42. doi:10.36473/ujhss.v218i1.534. ISSN 2518-9263.
- Hafez, Sabry. (19 July 1990). "Obituary: Omar Abu-Riche". The Independent (London), p. 31.
