Death of Syrian Writer and Screenwriter Khaled Khalifa

Mamdouh Adwan Publishing and Distribution House announced that Syrian writer, poet, and screenwriter Khaled Khalifa passed away today, Saturday, at the age of 59. Khalifa was born in Aleppo in 1964 and graduated from the Faculty of Law in 1988, being a member of the university's literary forum. He wrote for television drama as well as several documentaries and both short and feature films. He published six novels, most notably "In Praise of Hate," which reached the shortlist of the International Prize for Arabic Fiction in the UAE in 2008, and "No Knives in the Kitchens of this City," which won the Naguib Mahfouz Medal from the American University in Cairo in 2013. Among the series for which he wrote the story, screenplay, and dialogue are "Rainbow," "The History of the Al-Jalali Family," "Relative Calm," and "The Shadow of a Woman." Egyptian director Khairy Beshara mourned him in a post on X, saying, "The news hits like lightning... Khaled Khalifa was one of the most wonderful friends... Life's preoccupations distanced us just as distances and war did... Not long ago, I was very happy when we began to exchange our sweet memories, hoping to renew our relationship and revive our old friendship... May you rest in peace, dear being." Kuwaiti writer Taleb Al-Rifai also mourned him, saying, "As if death selects its beloved ones, shocking news my dear friend Khaled Khalifa, there is no consolation for the realm of Arabic literature. For your pure soul, may you find vast forgiveness and mercy."