Words of Wisdom

From a very young age, Abdallah Nacereddine was known for his 'Words of Wisdom'; not amusing, childish, insignificant words, but something witty, very wise and solemn. Family members, relatives and neighbors even reminded him of them many years later. But in an illiterate society, no one recorded them in writing. It was only in the 1960s, thanks to the books he read, mainly on Western philosophy, that Abdallah Nacereddine started to write down his thoughts and reflections. They were an immediate success among his circle of friends and acquaintances, and he published three books from 1967 to 1970. During trips to Japan, his writings in English and French were very much appreciated and translated into Japanese for publication in literary reviews. After teaching Arabic and producing textbooks for many years, Abdallah Nacereddine started writing again. He produced a new book in 2004, and published his 'Words of Wisdom' in English, Arabic and French on his website. Thanks to their success, this book is published to bring to another audience his writings in English in the form of couplets. An Index gives the reader access to their themes, from Good, Life, and Love to Man, Woman, Suffering and Healing. Born in the remote mountains of Algeria, Abdallah Nacereddine knew only a regional dialect of Berber until he was thirteen, although he learned the Koran by heart in Arabic. He left home to attend French primary school in the nearest village and subsequently studied Arabic and Islamic Jurisprudence in the city of Constantine. He taught himself English by reading the Bible and books on philosophy and world religions. Adopting the world as his homeland, he embarked on years of travel and lived in such countries as Tunisia, Egypt, Greece, France, Germany, America and Japan. He eventually settled in Geneva, Switzerland, in 1976, and taught Arabic at the United Nations until his retirement in 1999. The author of numerous Arabic language‮ ‬textbooks, his philosophical writings include Reflections/Réflexions published by AuthorHouse in 2004.