Rabih Alameddine
Rabih Alameddine
Rabih Alameddineis a Lebanese-American painter and writer. He was born in Amman, Jordan to Lebanese Druze parents. He grew up in Kuwait and Lebanon, which he left at age 17 to live first in England and then in California. A lover of mathematics, he earned a degree in engineering from the University of California at Los Angelesand a Master of Business in San Francisco. He began his career as an engineer, then moved to writing and painting. The author of...
NationalityLebanese
ProfessionArtist
CountryLebanon
regular shocks until
I oscillate between being cynical and being naive on a regular basis. I always think that not much shocks me until something much too obvious does.
park pay pick whether
If you want to know whether soccer is big in America, pick a weekend, go to any park in the land, and pay attention. We're there. We've always been.
britain english european fondness history invaded languages perhaps recorded speakers spot
English has always had a special fondness for other European languages, a neighborly soft spot - perhaps because Britain has been invaded by speakers of those languages from the onset of its recorded history.
begun civil five lebanese war
The Lebanese Civil War, 1975-1990, spanned four World Cups. It would have been a more symmetrical five had the Lebanese begun in 1974, but you know, we're Mediterranean, and timing isn't our forte.
algeria believe country
In 1982, Algeria made their first appearance at the World Cup. I believe it was the first Arab country to do so.
rampant sports
Homophobia is rampant in soccer, probably more so than in any other sport. I'm not sure why.
uses
Every writer uses his own way to motivate oneself.
pick stopped trying
Before prognostication, a disclaimer: I have never been able to pick a winner. Not that it has ever stopped me from trying to. Well, it has stopped me from buying stock, but let's not talk about that.
calls though
Nobody ever calls me a soccer-playing writer, even though I play soccer and it's part of who I am.
course cup gel watching
One of the things I enjoy most during the World Cup is watching a team improve, mature, and gel during the course of the tournament.
america large west
We seem, particularly over here in the West and in America in particular, to have forgotten that we are, in large measures, the story we tell ourselves about ourselves.
perspective perception stories
...What happens is of little significance compared with the stories we tell ourselves about what happens. Events matter little, only stories of events affect us.
cities purpose grants
What is the purpose of a city if not to grant the greatest of gifts, anonymity?
needs nerves bombs
Is life less thrilling if your neighbors are rational, if they don’t bomb your power stations whenever they feel you need to be admonished? Is it less rousing if they don’t rattle your windows and nerves with indiscriminate sonic booms just because they can?