Abbās al-Aqqād
| Abbās al-Aqqād | |
|---|---|
| Native name | عباس محمود العقاد |
| Born | 28 June 1889 Aswan, Egypt |
| Died | 13 March 1964 (aged 74) Cairo, Egypt |
| Nationality | Egyptian |
| Occupation | writer |
Abbās Mahmūd al-Aqqād (Arabic: عباس محمود العقاد ʿAbbās Maḥmūd al-ʿAqqād; 28 June 1889 – 12 March 1964) was an Egyptian journalist, poet and literary critic, and member of the Academy of the Arabic Language in Cairo. More precisely, because "his writings cover a broad spectrum, including poetry, criticism, Islamology, history, philosophy, politics, biography, science, and Arabic literature", he's perceived to be a polymath.
Al-'Aqqad was born in Aswan, a city in Upper Egypt, in 1889. He received little formal education, completing only his elementary education; he later supplemented his learning by buying books and reading on his own. Unlike his schoolmates, he spent all his weekly allowance on books. He read about religion, geography, history and many other subjects. He was known for his excellent English and French. He was also particularly well-read in German literature.
Al-'Aqqad was also an outspoken political thinker, and was jailed for a time between 1930 and 1931 for his criticism of his country's government. In 1942 when the forces of Adolf Hitler advanced on Egypt, al-'Akkad fled to Sudan due to fear of reprisal for his criticism of Hitler. At the height of Hitler's military advances, al-'Akkad wrote his scathing work Hitler in the Balance in June 1940 in which he lambasts Nazism as the greatest threat to freedom, modernity and the very existence of man. In addition to his general opposition to both fascism and communism, al-'Akkad was also both a member of the Egyptian parliament for a time as a member of the Wafd Party, and later a member of the Chamber of Deputies.
He wrote more than a hundred of books about philosophy, religion, and poetry, along with a philosophical study of the Qur'an and various biographies of historic Muslim leaders. He founded a poetry school with Ibrahim Al-Mazny and Abdel Rahman Shokry called Al-Diwan. He died in 1964 in Cairo. His most famous works were al-'Abkariat, Allah, and Sarah. Some of his books were translated into English. Al-'Akkad was known for his use of flowery and complicated prose.
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