Shauki, Ahmed

Born into an aristocratic family of Circassian origin.

In 1884 he graduated from law school in Cairo.

In 1887 - 1891 in France continued the study of jurisprudence .

Participated in international congresses of Orientalists in Berlin ( 1891 ) and Geneva ( 1894 ).

Upon returning to his homeland before 1914, he was the court poet of the Khedives .

For his anti-British position he was exiled to Spain ( 1915-1919 ).

In 1924 he was elected to the Senate .

Creativity

Poetry is thematically diverse: from panegyrics to children's and comic poems. Four volumes of his collection of poems “Shaukiyyat” (1898, 1927, 1936, 1943) were published.

Being works of Arab neoclassicism , poetry is characterized by adherence to traditional patterns. However, despite this, the melodiousness of his poems (many of which are set to music), the availability of content and the sincerity of feeling made him the most popular poet of the Arab world of the first half of the 20th century .

In verse dramas on historical themes, clearly imitative and not distinguished by the clarity and coherence of the construction ("The Great Alibey" (1893) - the first original Arab drama), the author showed sympathy for Egyptian nationalism .

He also wrote historical stories and stories , including The Death of Cleopatra (1927).

In 1927 he was elected "Emir of Poets".

He proved himself as an Arabic translator .

In the Russian translation of the poems were published in the collection: Poems of the poets of Egypt. - M., 1956. - P. 13-42.

• Daif S. Shauki - the poet of modernity. - Cairo, 1957. (In Arabic).
• Hanna S. A., Salti R. Shauqia pioneer of modern arabic drama // American journal of Arabic studies. - Leiden, 1973, v. 1, p. 81-117.
• Boudot-Lamotte A. Ahmad Shawqi, l'homme et l'oeuvre. - T. 1-2. - Lille, 1974.
• Badawi M.M. A critical introduction to modern Arabic poetry. - Cambridge, 1975.
• Kotsarev NK Writers of Egypt. XX century. - M., 1975.

• SHAUKI, Ahmed // Short Literary Encyclopedia