"Abbas Mahmoud Al-Aqqad" Abbas Mahmoud Al-Aqqad is one of the giants and the pillars of intellect of the
20th century renaissance. He waged many battles in defense of freedom of thought and the liberation of the
homeland. He lived for more than 80 years enriching cultural, social, and political life in Egypt. He is taken as a
unique encyclopedic figure a self-educated. He was an avid reader, he used to read in different fields of
knowledge, and he wrote in various spheres, distinguishing himself as a writer, thinker, poet, historian journalist a
translator and philosopher .
Al-Aqqad launched many contentions, political and cultural for the sake of national freedom and the upgrading
of learning, knowledge and the freedom of thought, thus identifying his mental greatness with that of the issues and
thoughts he propounded.
The Egyptian writer enriched the Arab Library with 102 books on different topics including history, philosophy,
poetry, literature, political, geniuses, biographies and memoirs(autobiographies)-besides translated books from
English language.
That whole ensemble represent the largest and intellectual heritage in the history of modern Arabic literature, an
innovating heritage on which scholars made some 30 to 50 master and doctorate degrees .
Al-Aqqad was born on Friday , June 28 1889 to a father, an archivist, in the city of Aswan, Upper Egypt, the
same year in which were born many other giants of human thought and notables . In 1896,and at the age of six he
started his first educational lessons in the kuttab(or the pre-elementary educational and which prevailed in Egypt
and the orient late 19th and early 20th centuries, teaching children the Holy Quran and Arabic language. They are
gradually disappearing leaving place for civil governmental and private schools not excluding -nevertheless religious
teachings which occupy a prominent place therein)
By 1899 Al-Aqqad joined the elementary school for 4 years, only to undertake a self-education- career, widely
reading and exploring all sorts and branches of knowledge, realizing great accomplishments as a tactful
interlocutor, a cogent and eloquent person to finally become an example and ideal for Arab intellectuals
In his early years, he assumed different governmental employments in different cities, but he used to frequent
Cairo to cope with the literary and acquire modern books. In 1906, he ultimately settled in Cairo, resigning from
his governmental posts, to devote himself to journalism and writing.
Aqqad and the Press:
It was journalism which attracted Aqqad to the realm of writing when he joined the editing staff of "Al-Dostour"
in 1907 (constitution) and "Bayan" newspaper in 1911. He also wrote some chapters on criticism in "Okaz"
magazine in 1912; he was also dedicated to some Arab biographies. In the domain of Press, Aqqad had a
distinctively charismatic character desirous of influencing others to strive for the best. He was the first Egyptian
journalist to skillfully introduce the press interview when he interviewed the national leader Saad Zaghloul in 1908.
In this domain, too, Al-Aqqad launched many political contentions in defense of democracy in the wider sense
of the word; so he frequently attacked Hitler in 1948, refuting the concepts of Nazism. He was imprisoned in
1940 for his defense, in the press, of democracy and parliamentary life, he was then member of The House of
Representatives.
Aqqad : An innovator man of letters
As he had fought political battles, Al Aqqad had literary battles to fight during the early years of the twentieth
century when there were attempts to complete the various aspects of the Egyptian renaissance. His literary
troubles started in 1944, and were mostly concerned with poetry. They were essentially a conflict between
imitation and innovation. Thus, more than any other thinker or contemporary writer, his name was linked to battle
after battle , whether in politics or in literature ·
Aqqad wrote in different aspects of literature, he composed 11 Diwans (collections of poems), the first entitled
"Yaqazat al-Sabah" or "morning awakening" "Bits and Pieces" and "Shazarat", he is considered as a pioneer
innovator in Arabic poetry.
According to Aqqad, poetry is a rational feeling which comprehensively interprets emotions, he believed that the
poet who can not be identified through his poetry is not worthy of being known, he always stressed the value of
the poets individuality. He had interest in stories but not as much as poetry, he wrote but one story called "Sarah"",
in 1938.
It relates a personal experience in his life with the only woman he loved. His views of women were those of
respect and appreciation, and were included in three books in which he demanded the full participation of women
in building the society.
Critics illustrated that the style of Aqqad is a top-level and scientific one, and some considered the issues raised
thereby as symbolizing the Egyptian conscience - his emotions, morals and knighthood.
Aqqad was specially concerned about literary studies, and if we only mention his book on "Ibn Alroumy" the
Arab poet in which he exposed the innermost of the poet, his life and his proficiency, one can only perceive in
these studies genuine opinion, compact evaluation and skillful analysis. Aqqad believed in the liberty of criticism
and consequently the liberty of mind as towards the evaluation of literature - hence the singularity of Aqqad's
literary criticism through which he influenced fine arts, he even had impact on the literary trends which were to
crystallize and appear later on. The vigorous, frank and knowledgeable critiques of Aqqad invited for the breaking
out of literary contentions of great interest to his readers.
Aqqads Literary Contentions:
The early 20th century was characterized by incessant attempts to integrate the different aspects of the Egyptian
renaissance by shaping the national consciousness and thought a process which led to several literary and
intellectual contentions, with Aqqad playing therein greater role, giving his individuality and his rejection of all
constraints.
Aqqad's critical contentions started in 1914, oftenly focusing on poetry, they were engaged with Al-Rafie and
Shawki. The core of these contentions focused on the choice between the old and the modern or tradition and
renovation. Therefore, Aqqad's name was identified in his readers' minds with a knight who comes out of a fight
only to launch another.
He is almost the sole writer in contemporary Arabic thought who engaged violent contentions characterized by
the almost vigour and challenge as a result of the then political conflicts. If Aqqad was famous for stern logic,
shrewd thought and rough ways in his life and writings, yet his rich, emotional, sensible, and universe-human
contemplating literature will always stand as a symbol for tenderness and kindness towards inherent human
weakness.
Aqqad : The Philosopher
Aqqad, the giant of literature was an equally giant thinker and philosopher, a liberal thinker in the true political
and human sense of liberty whose treatments and handlings were marked by the desire to upgrade human liberty.
Aqqad did not confine himself to the philosophic method as to search for the truth, and, in spite of the fact that
he had studied the philosophic doctrines, yet he strove not to be dominated by any specific one, because he had
his own philosophy which depends on the reason, senses and spiritual consciousness, all in an integrated pattern
which he called the "Universal Consciousness". In 1916, he wrote a book "A compound of the living" which deals
with both Good and Evil.
Fields of Thought tackled by Aqqad
Al Aqqad is primarily famous for his 14 biographies starting 1932.Biographies and geniuses were one of the
fields of interest in Aqqad's writings which demonstrate his shrewdness and singularity among those biographies
were:
Saad Zaghlool
(The national Egyptian leader in the 20th century,1857-1927) .
Ibn rushd or Averroes
(the Andalusian Arab philosopher,1126-1198) .
Benjamin Franklin
(the American politician and scientist in the field of electricity,17o6-1790)
In his biographies, Aqqad succeeded in presenting diversified types of personal greatness in different aspects of
culture such as poetry, philosophy, music, policy…etc, he focused on the reasons behind greatness, penetrating to
the inner most of each personality in search for "the key "of its greatness.
As from 1942, Aqqad wrote a marvelous collection of geniuses such as the genius of Mohamed the Prophet
(God's blessing and peace up on him )that of the four orthodox Caliphs, and Jesus Christ, to be followed by a
series of religious researches which revealed Aqqad's clear and profound belief based on a rational
comprehension of the fundamentals of religion.
On the other hand, he wrote three books on women calling for a full role of women in the structure of society
enjoying, at the same time, the freedom of thought. ·
In the context of his encyclopedic culture, Aqqad published a diversified translations of world poetry and stories.
He translated from English a miscellaneous collection of masterpieces of world literature in two volumes, one of
which is devoted to short stories in American literature (1954). Al Aqqad deeply believed in freedom of literary
criticism. He wrote eleven books in this field including "An Introduction to Shakespeare" in 1958
Aqqad wrote his autobiography entitled "Myself" and "Life of a pen", rich of different patterns of knowledge,
presenting there in the essence of his thought, experience and rational ideas. He published his two books "A daily
resume" in 1921 and later afterwards the "Diary" in1963 to expose there through the experience lessons and
wisdom of Aqqad, the learned, thinker, and Philosopher. In 1931, he provided the cinema with one film only
entitled "The song of the heart", it was the 14th film in the history of the Egyptian cinema.
Since the early 50s, Aqqad used to hold a weekly-Friday meeting called "Saloon of Aqqad" in which he
discussed with his interlocutor various literary, philosophic, historical, social, artistic, scientific and comic issues.
Critic affirmed that, among all Arab thinkers Aqqad was the most profound, learned and up -to-date as of
modern thought , he was truthfully the last alive encyclopedia in modern Arab. literature.
The great influence of Al Aqqad on Arabic literature can be judged by the numerous treatises on his works,
about 50 in all, whose writers obtained their masters and doctorate degrees by studying Al Aqqad.
In 1940 Al Aqqad was chosen as member of the Arabic Language Academy.
In 1956, he was chosen as member of the Higher Council of Literature and Arts. In 1960 he was awarded the
State Recognition Award.
On March 12, 1964 he died at the age of 85, after a life totally devoted to Arabic literature and thought
Aqqad's works:
* In Poetry :
11 books, the first was
"The morning awakening" in 1916.
* In Literature, history and society :
19 books including :
Eblees or the Devil in 1958
Sarrah in 1938
* In Criticism : 11 books including
Introduction to Shakespeare 1958
Poetic language 1958
* In Translation :
2 books , one of them,
"Types of American short stories"
* In Memories :
"The Diary Resume" 1921
"The Diaries"1963
* In Philosophy :
The most prominent :
Allah or "God" 1947
* In Politics :
9 books including :
" Nazism and Religions"
"Hitler in the Balance"
* The Geniuses :
14 books including :
"The Genius of the Prophet Mohammed"
"The Genius of the Jesus Christ"
* In Islamics :
"The Arab Impact on European Civilization 1942"
"Thought on Islamic Duty"
* Biographies : 15 books including :
Saad Zaghloul 1936
Al Faraby 1944
Francis Beckon 1945
Benjamin Franklin 1959.
