Haddis Alemayehu

Haddis Alemayehu (Amharic: ሀዲስ ዓለማየሁ; haddis alämayähu) (15 October 1910 – 6 December 2003), also transliterated Hadis Alamayahu, was a Foreign Minister and novelist from Ethiopia. His Amharic novel Fəqər əskä Mäqabər (Love to the Grave, 1968) is considered a classic of modern Ethiopian literature.

He was born in the Endor Kidane Miheret section of the city of Debre Marqos, the son of an Orthodox priest, Abba Alemayehu Solomon and his mother Desta alemu.He grew up with his mother. As a boy, he began his education within the system of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, studying at the monasteries of Debre Elias, Debre Werq, and Dima Giorgis where he finally graduated in Qine (type of extended ethiopian orthodox church education). Later, he moved to Addis Ababa where he attended several schools,including the swedish mission school(1925-1927) and later at the Tafari Makonnen School for further education of the secular sort (EthioView December 12, 2003).He wrote his first play during this period,''YeHabeshan yewedehuala Gabcha''/The marriage of habesha and its backwardnes/ which despayed remarkably mature style.In the early 1930s Hadis returned to Gojam and worked as a customs clerk and school headmaster before moving to a teaching position at Debre Markos.Haddis Alemayehu fought during the Italian-Ethiopian war for colonialism(1935-1936) untill he was captured and sent to an Island of Ponzo in the westen Meditranean and then to the island Lipari,near Sardinia.Freed by allied forces Haddis finally returned to Ethiopia(1943).After brief stents in the department of Press and Propaganda and Ministry of Forein Affaires,he became the Ethiopian consul in Jerusalem(1945-1946),where he stayed for about two years.There he met and married Kibebe-tsaehay Belay,who had lived and had been brought up in Jerusalem.Haddis then served as a delegate to the international communications conference in Athelantic city,New Jersy(1946).After wards,he relieved a posting to the Ethiopian mission in Washington DC.and at the United Nations(1946-1950).His next assignment was in the Ethiopian Foreign Minister,first as General Director and then as Vice Minister.During the 1956-1960s he worked as Ethiopian representative to UN.After his return Haddis briefly worked on ministry of education(1960)followed by appointement as Ambassader to Britain and Netherlands(1960-1965).After his recall to Ethiopia,Haddis,who was not in good health,prefered not to enter in government service.Reluctantly,he aggreed to become a minister of Planning and Development(1965-66) and also served the Ethiopian Senate(1968-1974).During era of first two years of Derg regime(a newly brought military government taking the advantage of mass revolution),Haddis served as a member of the advisory body that had been created to replace the dissolved parliament.How ever he declined the Derg's offer to become Prime Minister,thus removing him self from any meanigful governmental roles.In the meantime he returned to the literature carer when he published ''Fikr Eske Mekabr'',his femous novel about love in a feudal Ethiopia.Not only this he had written Wongelegnaw Dagna(the criminal judge)and yelemezat(sweet only in dreams)and others. He was eventually awarded an honorary doctorate by Addis Ababa University.

List of publications

• Y-Abeša-nna Ye-Wedehʷala gabičča (The Marriage of Ethiopia and the Future)
• Teret Teret Ye-Meseret, 1955 (1948 AM)
• Fəqər əskä Mäqabər (Love to the Grave), Bərhanənna Sälam Printing Press, 1965 (1958 AM)
• Wenǧeläñña Dañña (The Criminal Judge), Addis Abeba:nəgd Printing Press (Kuraz Publishing Agency) 1981 (1974 AM)
• Ye-Ilm Ižat, Addis Abeba: nigd Printing Press (Kuraz Publishing Agency) 1987 (1980 AM)
• Tizzita (Memories), Addis Abeba:Artistic Printing Press (Kuraz Publishing Agency) 1992 (1985 AM)

References

• Thomas L. Kane. Ethiopian Literature in Amharic. Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz 1975. ISBN 3-447-01675-2
• Hailu Fulass, "Realism in Haddis Alemayehu", in: Taddesse Adera & Ali Jimale Ahmed, Silence is not golden : a critical anthology of Ethiopian literature. Lawrenceville, NJ: Red Sea Press 1995. ISBN 0-932415-46-6. ISBN 0-932415-47-4.
• Reidulf K. Molvaer. Black Lions: the creative lives of modern Ethiopia's literary giants and pioneers. Lawrenceville, NJ: Red Sea Press 1997. ISBN 1-56902-016-7. ISBN 1-56902-017-5.
• Girma Abebe. "Addis Alemayehu (1910-2003)", International Journal of Ethiopian Studies, Vol. 1, No. 2 (Winter/Spring 2004), pp. 166-168.

External links

• All Africa
• FiQir Iske MeQabir - An Ethiopian Masterpiece, a book review by Haeran Fisseha in Seleda Journal website (Vol. II, Issue VII, January 2001).
• "Grateful, forever (A tribute to a literary giant - Haddis Alemayehu)", a poem by Kiros Berhane (December, 2003), in Meskot Online Literary Journal.
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• Amharic text of Fəqər əskä Mäqabər (Love to the Grave)
• Deconstructive Discourse of Content as Reflected in Haddis Alemayehu’s Fikir Eske Mekabir, MA thesis