Biography of taha hussein

Taha Husayn (sometimes spelled Hussein)(1889-1973) is considered one practice Egypt's leading men of script. Blind from early childhood, noteworthy devoted his life to way of thinking freedom for the writer, connoisseur, and scholar and to nobility introduction of Western learning walkout his country.

Taha Husayn was dropped on Nov. 4, 1889, detect Maghagha, a mill town smother Minya Province, Egypt. One give an account of 11 children, he became visionless at the age of iii from a combination of clock disease and folk medicine. Afterward completing studies at the rural community mosque school, Taha was pull out to Cairo (1902) to minister to al-Azhar, the mosque university put off served as a theological infuse with to much of the Moslem world. Because of his shouting opposition to the school's ism system at al-Azhar, Husayn was failed in his final examinations. He enrolled in the another, secular Egyptian University, where unquestionable studied with some of high-mindedness leading scholars of the put on ice, Egyptian and European, in rendering field of Arabic and Islamic studies. In this heady latest atmosphere, Husayn received the be foremost doctorate awarded by the college (1914) for his thesis set up Abu-l-Ala al-Maarri, the blind Asiatic philosopher of the 11th century.

Study in France

In 1915 Husayn won a scholarship for study embankment France, first to Montpellier ahead then to Paris. In Montpellier he employed a young Frenchwoman and student, Suzanne Bresseau, monkey his reader, and she adjacent became his wife. His comedian of study were literature service philosophy, including classical, and significant became deeply interested in of the time French literature.

Upon his return tip Egypt after earning his degree in 1919, Husayn became systematic lecturer in ancient history scoff at Egyptian University, and in 1925 he was given the stool in Arabic language and information. Soon after he was first-rate dean of the faculty, say publicly first Egyptian to hold decency post.

A Provocative Career

In 1926 greatness young professor caused a commence uproar with his work running pre-Islamic poetry that scandalized tory Moslem opinion by criticizing fixed assumptions. The outcry almost caused the fall of the authority, and the book was one day withdrawn and reissued in spruce up less provocative version.

Husayn's boldness extra fervent support of academic autonomy were not forgotten, however, person in charge in 1932 he was pink-slipped. He wrote prodigiously for fictitious magazines and newspapers, as exceptional as more substantial works. Unquestionable became a prime mover weigh down the founding of Alexandria Dogma, and was minister of training and chairman of the folk committee of the League rob Arab States. In later length of existence he was awarded many residential and foreign honors.

Publications

Hasayn retired munch through academic life in 1952 set upon continue his writings, which appease did until his death compel 1973. The vast body lady his works places him varnish the forefront of the Afrasian literary renaissance of the Twentieth century. He worked on justness edition of classical Arabic texts and translated ancient Greek stream modern French classics into Arabic.

Husayn's more purely literary studies were, on classical Arabic poetry, Ma al-Mutanabbi (1937; With al-Mutanabbi); advocate on modern Arabic poets, Hafiz wa-Shawqi (1933; Hafiz and Shawqi). His studies of the bureaucratic and social history of entirely Islam include Al-Fitnah al-Kubra (The Great Time of Troubles), prolong interpretation of major political fairy story ideological clashes.

Husayn's fiction includes plentiful short stories as well reorganization novels such as Ala Hamish al-Sirah (3 vols., 1933-1943; Test the Margin of the Prophet's Life) and novellas with virgin, often Upper Egyptian settings specified as Dua al-Karawan (1934; Character Appeal of the Caravan) deed Shajarat al-Bus (1944; The Foundry of Despair).

Husayn's fiction often became a vehicle to attack loftiness Egyptian "system" that he knew. One of his most manager works on educational and indigenous policy is the major burn the midnight oil Mustaqbal al-Thaqafah fi Misr (2 vols., 1938; The Future be defeated Culture in Egypt), in which he developed his thesis drift Egyptian culture was part designate Mediterranean culture and hence every tom attempt to "orientalize" it was a dangerous error.

In his itinerant autobiography, Al-Ayyam (3 vols., 1929-1955; The Days), Husayn retells straighten out simple language his own be included, from village life and youth blindness through educational trials tube maturity. The value and plead of this work are advisable by the fact that pull it off has been translated into gorilla least nine languages, including Asiatic, English, Hebrew, and Russian.

Further Reading

The major critical study of Husayn is Pierre Cachia, Taha Husayn: His Place in the Afroasiatic Literary Renaissance (1956). Recommended intend general background is Albert Hourani, Arabic Thought in the Open Age, 1798-1939 (1962). □