Munir Baalbaki

Munir Abd Al-Hafiz Al-Baalbaki (: [muˈniːr ʕab.dul.ħaˈfiːzˤ al.baʕ.la.bak.ki], ; 1918 – June 18, 1999) was a Lebanese writer, translator, and publisher, and one of the most prominent contributors to the translation movement and lexicographical authorship in the Arab world during the 20th century. Al-Baalbaki founded Dar El Ilm Lilmalayin (House of Knowledge for Millions), which became one of the most important publishing houses in the Arab world. He gained wide recognition for authoring the ''Al-Mawrid'' English-Arabic dictionary, which became known as the "Sheikh of Dictionaries," and he himself was dubbed the "Sheikh of Arab Translators." Al-Baalbaki provided numerous important translations of world literature, including the novel ''Les Misérables''. He was elected a member of the Arabic Language Academy in 1993. Al-Baalbaki died in June 1999 at the age of 81, after spending the last two years of his life in a coma. Provided by Wikipedia