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Youssef el-Sebai
(1917 – 1978)
On February 18, 1978, renowned Egyptian novelist and journalist Youssef El-Sebaei was assassinated while outside Egypt. Ironically, his assassination was at the hands of an extremist Palestinian group in Nicosia, Cyprus, where he was attending a conference dedicated to world peace and security.
El-Sebai was born into a household of literary orientation. His father, an innovative writer, played a leading role in Egypt’s literary movement. Besides his talent, el-Sebai inherited a craving for literature since early childhood.
In 1933, he published his first short story in Al-Megala (The Magazine) magazine as a high-school student. After his graduation from the Military Academy in 1937, el-Sebai became a career officer in the Army. He took up several military posts while teaching at the Academy. He ended up his military career in 1952 as Director of the Military Museum.
El-Sebai’s family lived in the populous quarter of Sayyeda Zeinab in Cairo, where the poor working class lived. The influence and spirit of this place can be traced in most of his writings.
Since 1951, Youssef El-Sebai played a significant role in Egyptian literature. In cooperation with prominent novelist and journalist Ihsan Abdel-Qoddous, el-Sebaei founded the Novelists’ Club and the Arab Writers’ Union. Under his supervision, several magazines were published.
El-Sebai held several positions. Among these were Minister of Culture in 1973 and Head of the Egyptian Press Syndicate in 1977.
By virtue of his political-orientations and positions, el-Sebaei traveled far and wide around the world allowing his experiences and impressions to be vividly reflect on his writings
El-Sebai had a profound interest in the Palestinian Question. He wrote a number of stories and novels on the Palestinian people’s tragedy. In "The Way Back", el-Sebai urged the Palestinians to keep hold of their land. In "A Smile on his Lips", the roots of the Arab Israeli-Arab conflict are explored. Rather than being merely a question of usurped land, the Palestine issue to el-Sebai was nothing less than a conflict of civilizations, where the destiny of the Arab nation stood in jeopardy.
Youssef el-Sebai was honored by different countries, e.g. the United Arab Republic, Italy, the Soviet Union and Egypt. Among his decorations was the State Merit Prize for Literature. Also, he was awarded the "Order of the Republic" on the very day of his assassination, on February 18, 1978.
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