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Did you noticed any change in the Google Search homepage today? The Google search page opens with an illustration of a man with specs sitting and writing, surrounded by books and his journal. Who is this man and why google has dedicated a doodle for him?
The person in Goodle’s Doodle today is a celebrated Saudi Arabian novelist, Abdul Rahman Munif, also known as Abdelrahman Munif. Munif was a short story writer, journalist, thinker and cultural critic who was considered one of the most significant modern Saudi Authors of the era.
“If humans don’t forget, they would die of excessive memories, enormous sorrows, torments and overthinking,” says Abdul Rahman Munif, the most celebrated Saudi Arabian Novelist of the 20th century. He succeeded in his mission to use literature to create awareness about culture and history among the youth.
Who was Abdul Rahman Munif?
For the unenlightened, who is the man in the doodle? Well, first off, he’s a renowned Arabic writer, who got famous for his quintet of novels entitled ‘Cities of Salt’, published from 1984 to 1989. But how did he becaome the most renowned arabic writer of the era?
Let’s start from the place he was born, his educational backgroundand how he ended up enlightening the world with his presence and words. Because not everyone is born knowing where they want to be in life, its a journey and let’s relive his journey on his 90th birthday.
Abdul Rahman Munif was born in 1933 to his Saudi parents in Amman, Jordan. Munif moved to Baghdad to pursue law from Sorbonne and later settled in Cairo. He graduated from the University of Belgrade in 1961 with doctorate in petroleum economics.
Abdul Rahman Munif: novelist, short story writer, memoirist, journalist, thinker, and cultural critic. His impactful contributions have made him one of the most influential modern Saudi authors and a literary gem in the Arabic language of the 20th century. 🖋️🌍. (29, 1933 –… pic.twitter.com/xbK5dc0ldr
— Emirates Scholar Research Center (@EmiratesScholar) May 29, 2023
He later returned to Iraq to work in the oil ministry and became a member of the Ba’ath Part. During that period he edited an industry journal called al-Naft wa al-Tanmiya “Petroleum and Development.” That’s when his writer instinct began to catch.
He started writing after he left an Iraqi government job in the 1970sand moved to Damascus. Munif wrote several short stories before publishing his first book. He was the author of 15 novels, including the Mudun al-Milh (Cities of Salt) quintet about how the Arab world changed during the oil era.
Other books included Al-Nihayat (Endings), Sharq al-Mutawassit (East Of The Mediterranean), and the three-volume historical novel Ard Al-Sawad (Land of Darkness Trilogy).
Munif’s novels have been translated into more that 10 languages across the globe bagging him several awards for his magnificent work, including Al-Owais Cultural Award in 1989 and the Award of Cairo Gathering for Arab Creativity in Novel Writing in 1998. Abdul Rahman Munif died in Damascus in 2004, aged 71, leaving his unforgettable words behind.
Google Doodle
Google’s Doodles are a way to surprise and inspire youth using legendary examples of the famous pioneers of change and a way of paying its tribute on their anniversaries, birthdays or other special occasions.
Google Doodles feature changes throughout the year, transforming the search engine’s traditional logo into an animation to pay tribute to an important figure or moment in history. The special illustration of Abdul Rahman Munif can be seen in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Iraq, Egypt, Libya, Algeria and Morocco.
According to Google, Doodles “are the fun, surprising, and sometimes spontaneous changes that are made to the Google logo to celebrate holidays, anniversaries, and the lives of famous artists, pioneers, and scientists”.
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