Youssef Halaq


Youssef Halaq is a Syrian writer, professor and literary translator who translated various Russian works and publications from the Russian language to his native Arabic since 1968.
Halaq was born in the town of Yabroud, 80 kilometres north of Damascus, in 1939 during the period of the Mandatory Syrian Republic. After finishing his education in Yabroud, he traveled and resided in Moscow temporarily to study in the Moscow State University where he got a Magister degree in Russian literature in 1964. Upon returning to his home country, he began teaching the Russian language in the High Institute for Russian language in the Damascus University and in various schools in the city before beginning to translate in 1968.
He joined the Arab Writers Union and its Translation Association, and from 1968 to 1990, he translated 18 Russian language books including selected works of prominent figures such as Vladimir Lenin, Rasul Gamzatov, and Mikhail Bulgakov.
He died in Damascus in 2007 at the age of 67.

Works

Those following publications are all translations by Halaq from the Russian language which were published in Damascus and Beirut from 1968 to 1990.