Naïm Kattan
Naïm Kattan, (, ; August 26, 1928 – July 2, 2021) was a Canadian novelist, essayist and critic of Iraqi Jewish origin. He is the author of more than 30 books, translated into several languages. Biography. Kattan spent the first years of his life growing up in Jewish Baghdad, and studied at the University of Baghdad from 1945 until 1947. Those years of his life are explored throughout his novel "Farewell, Babylon." First published in French as "Adieu, Babylone" in 1975, his novel was translated by Sheila Fischman and published in English in 1976. The early years of Kattan's life  were complicated. Kattan recalls in "Farewell, Babylon" the experiences of growing up in a community torn between Jewish and Arab nationalisms, the horrors of the 1941 Farhud, and anti-Semitism, but also Jewish successes in the cosmopolitan Arab city. In 1947, Kattan was awarded a scholarship from the government of France, and left Iraq to study literature at the Sorbonne in Paris. Kattan emigrated to Montreal in 1954. In partnership with the Canadian Jewish Congress, Naim Kattan founded "Le Cercle Juif", a publication dedicated to building cultural ties between Jewish and French Canada in the 1950, which was the first  non-Catholic French-language periodical published in Montreal. Kattan went on to write a literary column in "Le Devoir", and for close to 25 years he headed the writing and publishing division of the Canada Council for the Arts Writing and Publication program. Kattan was also an Associate Professor in the Department of Literary Studies at the Université du Québec à Montréal. Works. Farewell, Babylon. "Farewell, Babylon" is a fictionalized memoir of Kattan's early years growing up in Jewish Baghdad. A story of life, sorrow, and coming of age, "Farewell, Babylon" is at once a history lesson and an  homage to Jewish Baghdad. First published in French in 1975 as, ""Adieu, Babylone,"" the novel was translated by Sheila Fischman and published in English in 2005. It is the first of a trilogy that follows protagonist "Meir" as he moves from Iraq, to France and finally to Canada, a personal and professional trajectory that mirrors the author’s own. The work narrates a series of scenes, not necessarily in chronological order, of the protagonist’s adolescence. "Farewell, Babylon" and Kattan himself are little known outside academic circles. However, the work is a critical read for anyone interested in the history , culture and politics of modern Iraq. While "Farewell, Babylon" could be considered historical literature, the main theme of the novel is coming- of-age. Subsequent themes are identity, existence and love of literature. Cities of Birth. Naim Kattan wrote "Cities of Birth", a short story about place. The story is a celebration of the cities that have enriched Kattan’s life. This short story is essential to understanding Kattan’s body of work through the years, especially his relation to "identity" and "place" as themes in his writings. The story is about Paris, Berlin, Montreal and Istanbul. However, the essence  of the story is about the experiences Kattan had in each place and his Jewish heritage. Legacy. Naim Kattan has been provided many titles: author and critic; academic; pluralist; Arab; Jew; Canadian and Francophone. He has famously never accepted or rejected any one of these titles. Instead, Kattan has embraced the theme of identity and concept of rebirth. Naim Kattan has said that he was born three times: first in Baghdad, then in Paris and a third birth in Montréal (reference). In 2013, the Canadian director Joe Balass directed a documentary titled "La longueur de l'alphabet avec Naïm Kattan" about  Kattan's literary legacy.