Nov. 22 marks the birth anniversary of the famous Arab colloquial poet, Elia Abu Madi, also known as Elia D. Madey.
He is one of notable emigrant Arab poets and journalists whose poetry achieved popularity through their expressive use of language, mastery of the traditional patterns of Arabic poetry, and the relevance of their ideas to contemporary Arab readers.
Born in Lebanon in 1891, he established his own bimonthly magazine, Al-Samīr (“The Companion”), which he expanded into a daily newspaper in 1936 and continued to publish until his death.
When he was just 11 years old, Abu Madi moved with his family from their mountain village in Lebanon to Alexandria, Egypt. As a young man, he earned money selling cigarettes.
He published his first collection of poetry in Alexandria in 1911. A year later, he migrated to the United States, settling in Cincinnati, where he worked with his brother. In 1916 he moved to New York City and began editing several Arabic newspapers and magazines, which were supported by New York City’s Arab community.
While Abu Madi became the revelation poet and an Arab cultural idol, his work was essentially humanitarian, according to Lebanese newspapers.
One of Abu Madi’s most known poems "Tazkar al-Madi", in which he talks about the nationalism and occupation.
His most important collection, includes: Al-Jadawil ("The Streams", 1927), Al-Khama'il ("The Thickets", 1940) and Tibr wa Turab (posthumous, 1960).
Follow the latest news on Google News
