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Building a Man on Stage

Masculinity, Romance, and Performance according to Farid al-Atrash

Cleveland State University and University of California, Berkeley

This article explores the life and career of male singing star, instrumental talent, and Composer Farid al-Atrash, who created a prototype of the romantic male musical star from the 1930s until his death in 1974. An immigrant to Egypt and a member of a distinctive religious sect, the Druze, he arose from poverty and the invisibility of the previous generation of musicians thanks to his talent, ambition, and investment in his own film productions. A lifelong bachelor, he constructed a popular image with references to the authentic Arab Islamic poetic/historical past and an idealized version of modernity. Tales of his love affairs enhanced his popularity during his lifetime and were seemingly merged with the lyrics of his love songs. From Arabic sources, the author attempts to uncover the psychological rationale of a man whose life goals were shaped by his mother, who was overshadowed by his sister, and who consciously elevated music making to a professionalized art form.

Key Words: masculinity • Arabic music • Druze • popular performance • Islamic culture • Farid al-Atrash

Men and Masculinities, Vol. 5, No. 3, 275-294 (2003)
DOI: 10.1177/1097184X02238527


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