Remembering Taha Hussain on His 48th Death Anniversary

Thursday, Oct. 28, marks the 48th death anniversary of Taha Hussain, who was known as the dean for Arabic literature. He was also one of the co-founders of the Arab Writers Union in the 1950s.

Hussain 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. The late scholar understood these signals by touch.

Hussain 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, The Future of Culture in Egypt 1938, Moments 1942, The Voice of Paris 1943, Sheherzad's Dreams 1943, Tree of Misery 1944, Paradise of Thorn 1945, Chapters on Literature and Criticism 1945, The Voice of Abu El Alaa 1945, The Great Upheaval 1947, Spring Journey 1948, The Stream Of Days 1948.

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.