The directory «Plots»

Abdel Qudous Ihsan
(1919—1990)

While belonging to the contemporary generation of great novelists such as Tawfik el- Hakeem, Naguib Mahfouz and Youssef Edrees, yet, Ihsan abdel Quddous was not only a man of letters but also a political writer, who unveiled many hidden mysteries of political and social conflicts under the royal regime. Generally, he was a daring and straight forward writer both on the political and the social levels.

lhsan Abdel Quddous was born on January 1, 1919, a period fraught with boiling national indignation and resistance against the British occupation led by Saad Zaghloul. Of this coincidence, lhsan himself says, " My whole life was an epitome of my birthday, where dance mingled with tears, dance marking the beginning of a new year and tears for the victims of British gunshots. Ironically, he died in the same month of his birth. It seemed as if his birthday was a starting point for a new generation that cherished the dream of a revolution that could develop the community, while his death marked as he himself put it- "the end of such generation and the take-over by a fresh generation who would pursue the goals of society; i.e. that who made the 1973 victory.

Although lhsan descended from a well-off family, he was brought up to rural rather than aristocratic traditions. His grandfather; Sheikh Ahmad Radwan used to delibrately take young Ihsan to spend the summer holiday in the countryside , thus keeping him away from the artistic environment, where his parents were involved. In his childhood, Ihsan's sole pleasure was reading. His father, who was keen on providing his son with the best education, encouraged him to do so.

As a child also, lhsan used to move between his grandfather's regular meetings with Al-Azhar religious scholars and his mother's literary saloon, attended by prominent men of letters, poets, artists and politicians, who were engaged in political and cultural discussions representing a variety of streams in the Egyptian community. Out of such diversity, Ihsan trained himself to learn new concepts and gain new benefits that gave him distinction over his mates. Of this period, lhsan says, "this movement back and forth at first caused a mental confusion to me until it became gradually habituated to it as an inevitable reality of my life." Out of such contradictions in my life, I could make up a homogeneous blend that was positively reflected on my personality as a human, an artist and a man of letters. This was achieved through love; love for my grandfather and his value as well as for my parents and their creative talents. "

Harmonious combination of contradictions remained the clues of Ihsan's personality. On the one hand, he was a peaceful man, resigning to his destiny. On the other, he maintained a strong resolve for revolutionary change. While adhering firmly to his own values and principles, he showed great respect for different opinions. This quality has distinguished lhsan from his generation not only as a man of letters but also as a political journalist. In this respect, lhsan says," I am a man who is so submissive to his destiny to the point of naivety. This is due to my personal circumstances which gave me strong faith in Allah and made me too reserved to request anything from any human like myself. My only demand has been to have a pen to write with." Literature and journalism, for Ihsan , have been indispensable necessities of life . With them, he could attain self - equilibrium, dream revolts and realise his aspirations.

When Ihsan graduated from the Faculty of Law in 1942, he had to grapple with the first challenge of his life, i.e.; to select an independent course for his life. At first, he joined the law office of a famous lawyer; Edward Qussairi as a trainee lawyer, while working as a journalist for Rose El-Youssef Magazine. However, because of his shy nature and his disability to face the public, he resigned the legal profession and dedicated himself to journalism and literature. It is interesting, however, that he continued for years later to maintain the title of lawyer on his name plate on his office room at Rose El-Youssef Magazine.

At the early age of eleven, lhsan wrote short stories in a and "Love Seller", featuring memories of a young man on a visit to Europe. With "The Black Glasses" in 1949, he was inclined to the sentimental novel. His novel "I'm Free" in 1952, came, however, rather as a press feature than a novel . All through, lhsan remained committed to a board nationalist trend, while woman remained the central theme of his literary works. He was deeply influenced by the overwhelming personality of his mother, a dedicated career artist and journalist, his loving and caring aunt and wife. He regarded women as a symbol of self - denial and sacrifice for the object of her love.

Ihsan urged in all his writings, Egyptian and Arab girls to fully understand and train themselves to actively participate in the public life and avoid shipping into sin. His novels and short stories, which sounded sometimes provocative, contributed to a far-reaching change in conventional concepts. They, however, provided the sincerest expression of women's feelings. In his controversial novel "I'm Free", he advocated independence of women. Beside themes of politics and love, lhsan wrote some short stories of spiritual and religious nature such as "Love within the Realm of Allah".

Egipte, 2003, Ihsan Abdel Qudous