About Anwar Shaul
Lived 1904 – 1984 (aged 80). Anwar Shaul was an Israeli and Iraqi poet, writer, journal editor and journalist.
Anwar Shaul (; ; 1904–1984) was an Iraqi-Israeli journalist, publisher, author, translator, and poet.
Early life and education Shaul was born in Hillah to a family of Iraqi Jews. He was of Mizrahi descent on his father's side (Iraqi-Jewish) and of second-generation Ashkenazi descent on his mother's side (Austrian-Jewish). He originally trained as a lawyer at the Baghdad Law College, graduating in 1931.
Career Shaul served as editor of the Iraqi Zionist journal (; ) from 1924 to 1925. In his contributions to the publication, he wrote under the pseudonym "Ibn al-Samaw'al" in an allusion to the 6th-century Arabian-Jewish poet Samaw'al ibn 'Adiya.
From 1929 to 1938, Shaul founded and worked as an editor for , a weekly literary magazine. It featured significant political commentary; mixing harsh criticism of European fascism and advocacy for both Iraqi nationalism and complete political independence from the British Empire. Under his editorial leadership, became the foremost weekly magazine in Baghdad.
In addition to his publication of periodicals, Shaul published a number of longer works, including memoirs, translations of Western literature into Arabic, as well as anthologies of short stories and Arabic poetry.
Immigration to Israel In 1971, Shaul, who had long been resistant to emigrating despite intensive state-sponsored antisemitism in Iraq, reluctantly made aliyah. He continued to live in Israel until his death in 1984.
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Important facts
Contemporaries
People whose lives overlapped Anwar Shaul's
Frequently asked questions
Who was Anwar Shaul?
Iraqi Jewish writer and poet
When was Anwar Shaul born?
Anwar Shaul was born on 1 July 1904 in Hillah.
When did Anwar Shaul die?
Anwar Shaul died on 14 December 1984 in Jerusalem.
What was Anwar Shaul's occupation?
Anwar Shaul was a poet, writer, journal editor and journalist.
What nationality was Anwar Shaul?
Anwar Shaul was Israeli and Iraqi.
Sources & further reading
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Anwar Shaul. https://biography.guide/anwar-shaul/
MLA: "Anwar Shaul." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/anwar-shaul/.
Chicago: "Anwar Shaul." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/anwar-shaul/.
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