Malba Tahan, full name Ali Iezid Izz-Edim ibn-Salim Hanak Malba Tahan, was a fictitious Persian scholar. He was the creation and frequent pen name of Brazilian author Júlio César de Mello e Souza.
Biography
According to the dedication and introductory chapters of The Man Who Counted (ostensibly written in the month of Ramadan in the year of the Hijrah 1321, corresponding to November 1903), Malba Tahan was a native and well-connected resident of Baghdad, a sharif (a descendant of Caliph Ali Ibn Abi Talib), and a hajji (a Muslim who made the pilgrimage to Mecca). In the year of the Hijrah 1255 1839, Malba Tahan moved to Constantinople with his lifelong friend Beremiz Samir, the namesake of Malba's book The Man Who Counted.
Alternate biography
In other works by Julio Cesar, however, Malba Tahan was born in 1885 in Muzalit, near Mecca. Still a young man, he was named mayor of Meddinah by emir Abd el-Azziz. Malba studied in Cairo and Constantinople; at the age of 27 he received a large inheritance from his father, which allowed him to travel by Japan, Russia and India. He died in 1921, fighting for the freedom of a tribe in Central Arabia. According to the back cover of Maktub : the book of destiny and other stories (New York: Charles Frank,1965) Ali Yezzid Izz-Edin Ibn-Salid Malba Tahan, a famous Arab writer, descended from a traditional Moslem family, was born on May 6th, 1885, in the village of Muzalit near the ancient city of Mecca. He lived for 12 years in Manchester, England, where his father was a prosperous merchant. After his father retired, the family moved to Cairo where they remained prosperous. Malba Tahan studied first in Cairo and afterwards went to Constantinople where he concluded his studies of social science. His first literary works date from this period and were published in Turkish in several newspapers and magazines. Soon after, his friend Emir Abd-el-Azziz ben Ibrahim appointed him quaimaquan (mayor) of the city of El-Medina. He filled this post for several years, performing his administrative duties with rare intelligence and skill. More than once, he succeeded in avoiding serious incidents between pilgrims and local authorities. He always tried to protect distinguished foreigners visiting the sacred places of Islam. When his father died in 1912, Malba Tahan received a large inheritance; he left his post in El-Medina and began a long journey throughout the world. He traveled through China, Japan, Russia and a large part of India and Europe, observing the customs and studying the traditions and folklore of the different peoples. The following are among his best works: Roba-el-Kali, Al-Samir, Sama-Ullah, Maktub, Legends of the Desert and The man who calculated. He died in combat in July 1931, while fighting for the liberty of a small Central Asian tribe near El-Riad.
Origin of the name
Malba Tahan is said to mean "the miller from the oasis" in Arabic. But Tahan was in fact the surname of one of Julio César's students, Maria Zechsuk Tahan.
