Lesser Known Facts about Taha Hussein on His Birth Anniversary

Ahmed Emam

Today marks the 131st birth anniversary of the most acclaimed writer in his generation Taha Hussein.

On this special day, the Arab world is commemorating the Egyptian artist’s 131tst birth anniversary in November.

Celebrating the life and works of the genius writer on his birthday this November, several exhibitions, and seminars of his literary work took place in different Arab and Egyptian territories.

Hussein is widely revered as one of the greatest artists of all time and the most persely talented person to have ever walked the earth.

Furthermore, many of the current artists cited him as one of the most influential artists of the 20th century and the godfather of the modern educational movement in Egypt.

Hussein, who was dubbed as the Dean of Arab Literature, was born November 15, 1889, into a lower-middle-class and countryside family. However, by the time he was about two years old, he was stricken by an illness that left him blind.

It was in the 1900s when his teacher Mohamed Gad El-Rab helped him make drastic progress with her ability to communicate. He taught Hussian to read and write in braille and communicate using hand signals. Keller understood these signals by touch.

The legendary author did not let his disability hold him back from studying; moreover, in the 1900s, he became the first blind person to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree and a Ph.D. degree from Cairo University. He is credited with several advances in public services to disabled people and was a known critical thinker.

Later on, the remarkable writer became a professor of Arabic literature there. In 1919, he was appointed a professor of history at Cairo University. In addition to this, he was the founding Rector of the University of Alexandria.

Following his ambitions, he went to France to study Latin literature. During his stay in France, Hussein decided to marry French Suzann his admirer from Montpellie whom he had met at a French private course.

He is well known for his seminal works, such as The Memory of Abu Al-Ala’ al-Ma’arri 1915, Selected Poetical Texts of the Greek Drama 1924, Ibn Khaldun‘s Philosophy 1925, The Literary Life in the Arabian Peninsula 1935, Together with Abi El Alaa in his Prison 1935, Poetry and Prose 1936, Bewitched Palace 1937, Together with El Motanabi 1937.

Despite the fact that he wrote many novels and essays, he is actually best known for his autobiography, Al-Ayyam (The Days) which was published in English as An Egyptian Childhood (1932), and The Stream of Days (1943).

Further, he was the recipient of numerous awards and nominations for excellence throughout his successful career, including the United Nations Prize in the Field of Human Rights, Order of the Nile, Egypt’s highest possible award and so many more.