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
boarding lebanese school shipped war
When the Lebanese Civil War started in 1975, I was 15. I was shipped to boarding school in England and, after that, to UCLA.
civil great lebanese war
I jokingly say if there was one great thing about, you know, the Lebanese Civil War was that it forced me to read.
begun civil five lebanese war
The Lebanese Civil War, 1975-1990, spanned four World Cups. It would have been a more symmetrical five had the Lebanese begun in 1974, but you know, we're Mediterranean, and timing isn't our forte.
When I was younger, I used to find stories about divas charming. Not much anymore.
across arabic shocked whenever
Whenever I come across an Arabic word mired in English text, I am momentarily shocked out of the narrative.
arabic looked
As teenagers, a lot of us just did not want much to do with Arabic culture - we looked to the West.
america large west
We seem, particularly over here in the West and in America in particular, to have forgotten that we are, in large measures, the story we tell ourselves about ourselves.
uses
Every writer uses his own way to motivate oneself.
certainly player reasons
The reasons why a player is better on one club than on another are many. I certainly am not an expert and can't explain.
easily hold time
I can easily hold two opposing beliefs at the same time without any problem, which I find - well, mind-expanding, really.
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.
calls though
Nobody ever calls me a soccer-playing writer, even though I play soccer and it's part of who I am.
against diehard germany hated rooted
My father loved Brazilian football, a diehard follower, so of course, he hated Germany and always rooted against them, always.