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Al-Ahram Weekly 15 - 21 July 1999 Issue No. 438 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 15 - 21 July 1999 Issue No. 438
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Profile Features Travel Living Sports Time Out Chronicles People Cartoons Letters Rational demands
I was always very attached to Abbas El-Aqqad, whose work I read regularly. He was the Wafd's foremost writer, published in the party's various newspapers: Kawkab Al-Sharq, Al-Jihad... This was at the time of the Wafd's big battles, and to me, El-Aqqad was the political writer who had described Saad Zaghlul as "the colossus".
One day, I read an advertisement announcing that his collection of poetry was to be reprinted, and I remember asking my father: "Is this our El-Aqqad?" He said that yes, the very same. Until then, I had never known that he was a poet. After that, El-Aqqad became the only poet whose every word I had read, from A to Z. Despite my love for Al-Mutanabbi, for instance, I do not claim to have read all he wrote. The same goes for Abu Nuwwas. But El-Aqqad's works attracted me so much I devoured every verse.
Still, I do not claim that El-Aqqad was the greatest poetic genius I have ever encountered. He represented a clear rational trend, however, at a time when I was turning toward the study of philosophy at university. So I found in his poetry a chord that resonated in my heart. In this respect, El-Aqqad could be placed firmly in the tradition of Abul-Alaa Al-Ma'arri. His books were equally inspiring, and demanded a real effort on the reader's part. Because he refused any form of condescension, one consistently felt one was in the presence of a great and challenging mind.
Based on an interview by Mohamed Salmawy.
