Rabih Alameddine
Rabih Alameddine
Rabih Alameddineis a Lebanese-American painter and writer. He was born in Amman, Jordan to Lebanese Druze parents. He grew up in Kuwait and Lebanon, which he left at age 17 to live first in England and then in California. A lover of mathematics, he earned a degree in engineering from the University of California at Los Angelesand a Master of Business in San Francisco. He began his career as an engineer, then moved to writing and painting. The author of...
NationalityLebanese
ProfessionArtist
CountryLebanon
basketball diehard fireworks freshman lots love since ucla
Now I love hoops. I'm a diehard UCLA fan, have been since my freshman year. But basketball is the '1812 Overture.' Pomp and circumstance, fireworks and cannons, lots and lots of fun, and in the end, still Tchaikovsky.
becoming beirut both conquered conquerors history itself numerous pull retaining seems survives wished
A phoenix, Beirut seems to always pull itself out its ashes, reinvents itself, has been conquered numerous times in its 7,000-year history, yet it survives by both becoming whatever its conquerors wished it to be and retaining its idiosyncratic persona.
best essence friendly gives giving less matter national player shirt sports whether
A player should be disparaged if he gives less than his all, if he doesn't give 100%, no matter what shirt he's wearing. Whether it's your national team, your club, or little league. Yes, there are friendly matches, recreational ones, and so on, but sport in its essence is about giving your best.
course cup gel watching
One of the things I enjoy most during the World Cup is watching a team improve, mature, and gel during the course of the tournament.
reminded
No one needs to be reminded of racism in soccer: the xenophobia, the nativism and, yes, nationalism.
easily hold time
I can easily hold two opposing beliefs at the same time without any problem, which I find - well, mind-expanding, really.
calls though
Nobody ever calls me a soccer-playing writer, even though I play soccer and it's part of who I am.
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My father loved Brazilian football, a diehard follower, so of course, he hated Germany and always rooted against them, always.
both enemy eye growing rarely saw share trenches
My father and I rarely saw eye to eye when I was growing up. We saw the world differently. It was only when we were both adults that we were able to share spectacles. However, football, and particularly the World Cup, was when we, enemy combatants, could traverse trenches and be together.
hope
A team without hope fizzles: no flameout, no fire.
descend gabriel game gods moment music narrative peak pure sets suddenly tension wagner
A soccer game is a Wagner opera. The narrative sets up, the tension builds, the music ebbs and flows, the strings, the horns, more tension, and suddenly a moment of pure bliss, trumpet-tongued Gabriel sings, and gods descend from Olympus to dance - this peak of ecstasy.
arabs blacks north relationship
The relationship between France and its 'foreign' players - blacks and North African Arabs - has always been troubled, particularly with Algerians.
argument enjoy fans sports
I know many sports fans that don't enjoy soccer. The argument is that there's no action, not enough of it.
I have to admit, I'm not patriotic. It has partly to do with principle, but it is also a phobia/neurosis.