Biography of Pascal Assaf
Born in Lebanon
Pascal Assaf (باسكال عساف) is a Lebanese writer and poet, born on May 20, 1970 in Beirut, Lebanon, known for his Arabic prose poetry and emotionally intense literary style.
He writes primarily in Arabic, with work spanning: prose poetry (قصيدة النثر), short stories, reflective literary texts often blending philosophy, love, and existential themes.
Early Life & Education
Pascal Assaf received his early education at Collège de la Sagesse - St Maron in Jdeideh. He later pursued undergraduate studies in Informatique de Gestion at Pigier, where he developed a strong foundation in information systems and business-oriented computing.
Driven by a lifelong passion for learning, Assaf returned to academia in his mid-thirties to study History. He went on to earn a Master’s degree in History from the Lebanese University, reflecting a deep intellectual curiosity that would later inform his literary work.
Early Career
Prior to dedicating himself to writing, Assaf built a career in the technology sector. He worked as a programmer before venturing into entrepreneurship, founding his own computer business. In the mid-1990s, he also established one of the first internet cafés in Lebanon, placing him among the pioneers contributing to the country’s initial wave of digital connectivity.
Literary Career
Assaf began publishing around 2009, during a period when many Arab writers were experimenting with digital platforms and blogs as literary outlets. Some of his first writings include articles published in local newspapers.
You can find in his personal blog pascalassaf.blogpost.com:
- early writings from 2009–2010
- a mix of poems, short prose, and reflections
- recurring themes of pain, memory, death, love, and identity
His style is often described as:
- dark, surreal, and confrontational
- philosophically inclined, sometimes nihilistic or existential
- rich in imagery and emotional intensity
Major Works
Pascal has written several books:
- أوبرا الوجع (Opera of Pain)
→ His breakthrough poetry collection, marked by harsh, surreal imagery and existential questioning
- وجوه وأقنعة (Faces and Masks)
→ A collection of short stories exploring human duality, life, and death
- أحب امرأة واحدة (I Love One Woman)
→ A poetic work centered on idealized love and the feminine figure, often symbolic and abstract
- وأكره كل النساء (and I hate all women)
→ A continuation from the previous book, a mix of symbolism and realism in one long poem
- شعر ذاتي (Auto Portrait)
→ A later collection exploring inner identity and the nature of poetic expression