Ahmed Shawqi (1868 - 1932) (أحمد شوقي) was an Egyptian poet and dramatist who pioneered the modern Egyptian literary movement, most notably introducing the genre of poetic epics to the Arabic literary tradition. Shawqi also produced distinctive poetry that is widely considered to be the most prominent of the 20th century in Egypt. Ahmed Shawki is the editor of the International Socialist Review and a leader of the International Socialist Organization. ... Year 1868 (MDCCCLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian Calendar (or a leap year starting on Monday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... Year 1932 (MCMXXXII) was a leap year starting on Friday (the link will display full 1932 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the art form. ... For other uses, see Drama (disambiguation). ...

Life

Monument to Shawqi in Villa Borghese, Rome

Awesome man , pure awesomosity just plain awesome withe awesome poems and other awesome stuff Raised in a privileged setting, his family was prominent and well-connected with the court of the Khedive of Egypt. Upon graduating from high school, he attended law school, obtaining a degree in translation. Shawqi was then offered a job in the court of the Khedive Abbas II, which he immediately accepted. Villa Borghese: the 19th century Temple of Aesculapius built purely as a landscape feature, influenced by the lake at Stourhead, Wiltshire Villa Borghese is a large landscape garden in the naturalistic English manner in Rome, containing a number of buildings, museums and attractions. ... For the HMS Khedive, see USS Cordova. ... Look up translate in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Abbas Hilmi Pasha or Abbas II (Arabic: عباس حلمي باشا) (July 14, 1874, Alexandria – 19 December 1944, Geneva) was the last khedive of Egypt (January 8, 1892 – 1914). ...

After a year working in the court of the Khedive, Shawqi was sent to continue his studies in Law at the Universities of Montpellier and Paris for three years. While in France, he was heavily influenced by the works of French playwrights, most notably Molière and Racine. The University of Montpellier, (Université de Montpellier), is a French university in Montpellier. ... The Sorbonne, Paris, in a 17th century engraving The historic University of Paris (French: ) first appeared in the second half of the 12th century, but was in 1970 reorganised as 13 autonomous universities (University of Paris I–XIII). ... For the 2007 film, see Molière (film). ... Jean Racine, in an engraving by Pierre Savart. ...

He returned to Egypt in 1894, and remained a prominent member of Arab literary culture until the British forced him into exile in southern Spain, Andalusia, in 1914. Shawqi remained there until 1920, when he returned to Egypt. In 1927 he was crowned by his peers Amir al- Sho’araa’ (literally: the Prince of Poets) in recognition of his considerable contributions to the literary field. 1894 (MDCCCXCIV) was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... For other uses, see Andalusia (disambiguation). ... Year 1914 (MCMXIV) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Wednesday of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... Year 1920 (MCMXX) was a leap year starting on Thursday (link will display 1920) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1927 (MCMXXVII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Works

Shawqi’s work can be categorized into three main periods during his career:

• The first coincides with the period during which he occupied a position at the court of the Khedive, consisting of eulogies to the Khedive: praising him or supporting his policy.
• The second comprised the period of his exile in Spain. During this period, his feeling of nostalgia and sense of alienation directed his poetic talent to patriotic poems on Egypt as well as the Arab world.
• The third stage occurred after his return from exile: during that period he became preoccupied with the glorious history of Ancient Egypt and Islam. This was the period during which he wrote his religious poems, in praise of the Prophet Muhammad. The maturation of his poetic style was also reflected in his plays, the most notable of which were published during this period.

Plays

Shawqi was the first in Arabic literature to write poetic plays. He wrote five tragedies: The pyramids are the most recognizable symbols of the civilization of ancient Egypt. ... For people named Islam, see Islam (name). ... Muhammad in a new genre of Islamic calligraphy started in the 17th century by Hafiz Osman. ... Arabic literature (Arabic ,الأدب العربي ) Al-Adab Al-Arabi, is the writing produced, both prose and poetry, by speakers of the Arabic language. ... For other uses, see Tragedy (disambiguation). ...

• Magnun Laila (literally "The Madman of Layla"), his first play.
• The Death of Cleopatra, his most famous play.
• 'Antara
• Ali bek el-Kabeer
• Qambeez

and two comedies:

• Es-Set Huda (literally: Madam Huda)
• El-Bakhila (literally: the Miser)

in addition to a prose play: the Princess of Andalusia.

Poetry

• Esh-Shawqiyyat, his selected works, in four volumes, including Nahj al-Burda, a tribute to the Prophet Muhammad
• A long poem about the History of Islam, named The States of Arabs and the Great Men of Islam.

Prose

Shawqi wrote several ill-written novels. A few survived. He also wrote chapters of prose, as he called them, about several and unrelated subjects, and collected them under the title: the Markets of Gold. Majnun in the wilderness The madman of Layla - in Arabic مجنون ليلى (Majnun layla) or قيس وليلى (Qays and Layla), in Persian: (Leyli and Madjnun) - is a classical Middle Eastern love story. ... A comedy is a dramatic performance of a light and amusing character, usually with a happy conclusion to its plot. ... Muhammad in a new genre of Islamic calligraphy started in the 17th century by Hafiz Osman. ... The History of Islam involves the history of the Islamic faith as a religion and as a social institution. ... For other uses, see Novel (disambiguation). ...

References

• Glimpses of Ahmed Shawqi’s Life and Works, Egypt Magazine, Issue No. 19-Fall 1999.

External links

• Ahmed Shawqi Museum in Cairo. (Arabic)
• Monument to Shawqi in Villa Borghese, Rome.