(MENAFN- Brazil-Arab News Agency (ANBA)) 
São Paulo – Moroccan professor Abderraman Belhaddad (pictured) is releasing a previously unpublished translation from Arabic into Portuguese of 'The Book of Physiognomy – the study of human countenance to identify people's natures and behaviors,' written in the 12th century by Faḫru-ddīn ar-Rāzī. The book will be launched by Editora Gato-Bravo in Aveiro, Portugal, where Belhaddad lives and studies, on June 22. The Brazilian release is slated for October, but the e-book is already available.
Belhaddad told ANBA that he chose to translate this piece 'to enable Portuguese speakers to find out that the Arab-Islamic civilization made contributions to the fields of psychology, philosophy and medicine, and to relay the konwledge of ancient cultures.'
According to him, the technique was known in Ancient Egyptian civilization as well as in Arab pre- and post-Islamic civilizations, and some Greek philosophers wrote about it, like Aristotles. 'The Book of Physiognomy deals with a science, a knowledge, a technique, an art – all of those apply – which identifies someone's behavior by analyzing their external appearance,' said the translator.
The Book of Physiognomy was written in the 12th century
The author Faḫru-ddīn ar-Rāzī was born in Ancient Persia. He lived during the Abbasid Caliphate, based in Baghdad, in what is now Iraq. Rāzī wrote several Arabic books that reached lots of readers. In this piece, Rāzī looks into the signs of temper contained in human organs, and the temperaments and characters typical of each age bracket, as well as the various regions with different climate conditions.
Belhaddad said the choice of author and title was due to his prominence in Arab culture, which persists until our days. 'Firstly, because he approaches a subject that concerns everyone, straddling different cultures, and he deals with behavior and characteristics that identify human beings as a whole, no matter their culture, religion or country,' he explained.
'Faḫru-ddīn ar-Rāzī was an Arab philosopher and physician. He utilized his knowledge of medicine, as well as logic, logical rationales, to champion this science, and he follows that with external aspects: if one's mouth is like this, they will tend to behave like that, and so on; so it's deemed a very important book in Arab culture. It has been translated into French, English and Spanish, and this is the first direct translation from Arabic into Portuguese,' he said.
According to Belhaddad, the book is important so Western cultures can identify and become familiar with medieval Arab authors and know that knowledge from that time still applies in our time. 'It's a way of bringing Arab culture closer to Brazil and the Portuguese speaking countries,' he concluded.
Abderrahman Belhaddad was born in Marrakech, Morocco, 1968. He holds a degree in Arabic language and literature from Cadi Ayyad University. He moved to Brazil in 1997, where he worked as a translator for Arab countries' embassies. He taught Arabic at the University of Brasília and the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro. In 2013, he completed a master's in Arab Language, Literature and Culture and Portuguese Language at the University of São Paulo (USP). He has been living in Portugal since 2018, where he's pursuing a doctorate degree in Translation and Terminology from the University of Aveiro.
The book is available in Kindle eBook format fromAmazon , , and from the publishing house'swebsite .
Quick facts
O livro da Fisiognomia: o estudo da fisionomia humana para identificar a natureza e os comportamentos das pessoas
Author: Faḫru-ddīn ar-Rāzī
Translator: Abderrahman Belhaddad
76 pages (eBook); 94 pages (paper)
Editora Gato-Bravo; 1st edition (May 23, 2019)
ISBN: 9789898938268
ASIN: B07S85PCPZ
Available in Brazil in Kindle eBook format fromAmazon
BRL 24.90
Portugal launch
June 22
Starting 10 am
Biblioteca Municipal de Aveiro
Aveiro, Portugal
Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
Press ReleaseReprodução
The postMoroccan translates Arab philosopher's book into Portugueseappeared first onANBA News Agency .
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