Literary Birthday – 25 February – Amin Maalouf

Happy Birthday, Amin Maalouf, born 25 February 1949.

Five Quotes

1. A life spent writing has taught me to be wary of words. Those that seem clearest are often the most treacherous.
2. When faced with a chaotic and convoluted situation, one always thinks that it will take centuries to sort it out. Suddenly a man appears and as if by magic, the tree we thought was doomed takes on new life and starts bearing leaves and fruits and giving shade.
3. I come from no country, from no city, no tribe. I am the son of the road… all tongues and all prayers belong to me. But I belong to none of them.
4. Doctrines are meant to serve man, not the other way around.
5. You can’t say history teaches us this or that; it gives us more questions than answers, and many answers to every question.

Amin Maalouf is a Lebanese-born French author. He received the Prix Goncourt in 1993 for his novel The Rock of Tanios. He was elected to the Académie française on 23 June 2011.

by Amanda Patterson

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