Abbas Mahmud al-Aqqad was a self-educated writer, historian, poet, philosopher, translator, and journalist. Known for his patriotism, he used his writings to spread his pro-democratic beliefs. He was also known as a leading creative critic of 20th-century Arabic poetry.

Born on June 28, 1889, in Aswan, Upper Egypt, al-Aqqad was the son of an archivist. At the age of six, he attended the village religious preschool where the principal subjects were the Qu'ran and Arabic. Al-Aqqad moved to elementary school in 1899, where he spent four years; either because of economic or other factors,after which he ended his formal education.

Quit Government Work to be Full Time Writer

Al-Aqqad, while still in his teens, worked in a government office, but resigned in 1906, at age 17, to devote himself to a writing career. He is said to have settled permanently in Cairo at that point, having until now lived and worked in various cities throughout Egypt. His first professional writing work was reportedly as a journalist; he became an editor with the newspapers Al Doustour (The Constitution) in 1907 and Al Bayan (Clear Rhetorical Speech) in 1911. He was the first Egyptian to interview Saad Zaghloul, the nationalist leader who later became Egypt's prime minister. Al-Aqqad also wrote critical essays for a magazine called Oukaz in 1912.

First Published Literary Works

Al-Aqqad was perhaps driven to writing as a primary method of intellectual self-expression. One of the earliest themes of his works was freedom of thought and expression, which were under constant threat from political and religious repressive forces in Egypt in the early 1900s. Although he worked as a journalist to earn his living, he wrote during his spare time as well, and in 1915 he published his first literary works, collection of poems, titled Bits and Pieces. The following year the 37-year-old al-Aqqad published Yaqazat al-Sabah (The Morning Awakening), a political commentary in poetic form, and A Compound of the Living, which discusses the issue of good versus evil. Also, as a philosopher, al-Aqqad developed his own strain of existentialism, which he would call "Universal Consciousness." According to al-Aqqad, this comprises the integration of the senses, reason, and spirituality.

During the 1920s al-Aqqad wrote a book called My dairies, which was an autobiographical account of his experiences. He tried his hand at script writing in 1931, producing The Song of the Heart, the fourteenth filsm to be produced in Egypt. In 1932, he wrote the biographies of great thinkers and religious leaders, for which he remains best known. In these biographical accounts, al-Aqqad sought to identify the "key to greatness" within each of his figures, including Benjamin Franklin, Ibn Rushd, Saad Zaghlool, and Francis Bacon.

Outspokenness

Under a repressive political regime in Egypt at that time, al-Aqqad was jailed for several months in 1930 - 1931 for defending parliamentary democracy in interviews he gave as member of the House of Representatives. Also that year, he gained membership of the Arabic Language Academy. In 1938 al-Aqqad wrote the novel Sarah, in which he related his experience with a woman - reportedly the only woman he ever loved. Mainly, however, the writer concentrated his efforts on poetry, believing that it was the best medium through which to express his emotions and drive home his message about the importance of free speech.

In 1942 al-Aqqad began his famous 14-volume "geniuses" series on great historical religious figures, including The Genius of Christ, The Genius of Abraham, and The Genius of Mohamed in quick succession. Next to his biographical series, these would be the most popular of all his publications. In addition, al-Aqqad compiled a critical biography of the Arab poet ibn al-Roumy that offers insight into that author's life, personality, and works. Also in 1942, one of his several studies on Islam, The Arab Impact on European Civilization, was published.

Al-Aqqad's outspokenness in support of freedom of expression and his strong pro-democratic views extended also to his condemnation of German Chancellor Adolph Hitler as the Nazis expanded their control over Europe and the Middle East. In fact, the writer fled Egypt in 1942 as German troops advanced on his homeland, moving temporarily to Sudan to escape any retribution for his repeated criticism. His books on the subject include Hitler in the Balance and Nazism and Religions. Documents on al-Aqqad's life refer to "literary troubles" that began for him in 1944 and which reportedly centered on his poetic works. The "troubles" were no doubt caused by his liberal views on literary criticism and freedom of speech. No doubt contributing to the strife was the publication of his controversial book Allah in 1947.

An Icon of Arab Culture

In the early 1950s, al-Aqqad established a salon in his home that held sessions every Friday. Guests, including some prominent Egyptian intellectuals and artists of the day, would discuss literature, philosophy, science, history, and other subjects. One of the most contentious topics of the salon was the role of Muslim women in society. Al-Aqqad, who reportedly had great respect for women, wrote three books on the subject, insisting in each of them that women should have the right to participate fully in society, as opposed to the severely restricted role that orthodox Islam relegated to them. He argued that women should enjoy freedom of thought as well.

In 1954 al-Aqqad published a two-volume collection of his translations of world literature. Two years later, he was appointed member of the Egyptian Higher Council of Literature and Arts. He released one of his 11 books on literary criticism, An Introduction to Shakespeare, in 1958, along with works titled Eblees or the Devil and Poetic Language.

Near the end of his life, critics hailed al-Aqqad as a "human encyclopedia" of modern Arab culture. He received the prestigious State Merit Award in 1960. Al-Aqqad died at age 75 on March 12, 1964, in Cairo. In more recent years, many scholars have made his life and works the subject of in-depth studies.