Taha Hussein
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-->Taha Hussein (Arabic: طه حسين ) (November 14, 1889—October 28, 1973) was an Egyptian writer and Arabic literary scholar. He was a figurehead for the modernist movement in Egypt.
Early life
He contracted an eye infection as a child, and faulty treatment rendered him blind at the age of three. He went to a kuttab (traditional teacher), and then was sent to Al-Azhar University, where he was educated in religion and Arabic literature. He resented the narrow thinking of his teachers.
Academic career
When the secular Cairo University was founded in 1908, he was keen to enter, and despite being blind and poor he earned a place. He was the first graduate to receive a Ph.D., and he went on to become a professor of Arabic literature. Additionally, he was founding Rector of the University of Alexandria. He wrote many novels and essays, though in the West he is best known for his autobiography, Al-Ayyam which was published in English as An Egyptian Childhood (1932) and The Stream of Days (1943).
An important episode in his life was the writing in the 1920s of "on Pre-Islamic Poetry" في الشعر الجاهلي in which he expressed doubt about the authenticity of much of traditional Arabic poetry, claiming that it may have been faked during ancient times due to tribal pride and competition between those tribes. In this book he also hinted indirectly that the holy Quran should not be taken as an objective source of history. Naturally this book aroused the intense anger and hostility of al-Azhar and many other traditionalists. He was prosecuted with the accusation of insulting Islam, but the public prosecutor stated that what Taha Hussein said was the opinion of an academic researcher and no legal action was taken against him. His book was banned but was later published with slight modifications under the title "On Pre-islamic Literature" في الأدب الجاهلي. He was also a proponent of the ideology Pharaonism.
He met Suzanne, his wife, while studying in France, where he obtained a B.A. from University of Montpellier and a second PhD from the Sorbonne. She read to him as not all of his references were available in Braille. After Taha died, she published Ma'ak (With You), which chronicled their life together.
He was a strong proponent of the 1952 Egyptian Revolution, and he insisted that education remained free, claiming that is was a basic right for every human being, announcing "knowledge is like water and air." He became Minister of Education in 1950, and the new government subsequently made primary education ex gratia, which is still in effect today.
Works
His literary works can be divided into 3 categories:
- Studies of Arabic and Islamic literature and culture.
- Fictional literary works centered on social commentary attacking poverty and ignorance.
- Political articles published in the two journals of which he was editor-in-chief.
- ''On Pre-islamic poetry" في الشعر الجاهلي
- ''Wednesday talk" a collection of essays on literary criticism حديث الأربعاء
- The Sufferers: Stories and Polemics المعذبون فى الأرض
- A Man of Letters, a novel أديب
- The Days (3-Part Autobiography) الأيام
- An Egyptian Childhood
- The Future of Culture in Egypt مستقبل الثقافة فى مصر
- The Tree of Misery شجرة البؤس
- The Call of the Curlew دعاء الكروان
References
- ["Taha Hussein."] Egyptian Ministry of Culture, April 2, 2005
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