10 Facts About Mikhail Naimy

Mikha'il Nu'ayma, better known in English by his pen name Mikhail Naimy, was a Lebanese poet, novelist, and philosopher, famous for his spiritual writings, notably The Book of Mirdad.

Mikhail Naimy is widely recognized as one of the most important figures in modern Arabic literature and one of the most important spiritual writers of the 20th century.

In 1920, Naimy re-formed the New York Pen League, along with its original founders Nasib Arida and Abd al-Masih Haddad, and other Mahjari literary figures such as Kahlil Gibran.

Mikhail Naimy was born into a Greek Orthodox family and completed his elementary education at the Baskinta school.

Mikhail Naimy then studied at the Russian Teachers' Institute in Nazareth and the Theological Seminary in Poltava.

Mikhail Naimy moved to the United States in 1911, joining his two older brothers in Walla Walla, Washington, where they owned a furniture store.

Mikhail Naimy then moved to Seattle to study at the University of Washington, earning degrees in law and liberal arts.

Mikhail Naimy then moved back to New York, where he joined with Khalil Gibran and eight other writers to form a movement for the rebirth of Arabic literature, the New York Pen League.

In 1932, having lived in the States for 21 years, Mikhail Naimy returned to Baskinta, where he lived for the rest of his life.

Mikhail Naimy died of pneumonia at the age of 98 on February 28,1988, in Beirut.