Overview of His Life
Ahmad Hijazi, an esteemed Egyptian poet and critic, was born in 1935 in the city of Tala, located in the Monufia Governorate of Egypt. He obtained a degree in sociology and a diploma in advanced studies in Arabic literature. Hijazi has participated in numerous literary conferences across various Arab capitals and is recognized as a pioneer of the contemporary Arabic poetry revival movement. Selections from his poetry have been translated into several foreign languages, including French, English, Russian, Spanish, Italian, and German.
Achievements and Positions Held
Throughout his life, Ahmad Hijazi has navigated many significant milestones, achieving various accomplishments, including the following:
- He began his journalism career as an editor at the magazine “Sabah Al-Khayr” in 1956, later continuing his work in the field of journalism in Damascus, Syria, following the unification of Syria and Egypt.
- Hijazi became the managing editor of the prestigious “Rose Al-Yusuf” magazine after gaining substantial experience during his time in Syria.
- He is celebrated as a key figure in the poetic renewal movement that emerged in the mid-20th century, excelling in writing prose poetry.
- In 1959, Hijazi published his first poetry collection, “City Without a Heart,” followed by his second collection, “Oras,” in the same year. His third collection, titled “Nothing Remains but Acknowledgment,” was released in 1965, and his fourth collection, “Elegy for the Beautiful Age,” came out in 1972, after the death of Gamal Abdel Nasser.
- Subsequently, in 1983, Hijazi released a new collection entitled “Creatures of the Kingdom of Night,” followed by “Cement Trees” in 1989.
- His authorship includes various works such as “Tuesday Talks,” “Poetry is My Companion,” “Cities of Others,” “Arabness of Egypt,” among many others.
- Hijazi joined the ranks of writers at the prominent Al-Ahram newspaper in 1990.
- He served as the editor-in-chief of “Creativity” magazine, published by the General Authority for Writers, from 1990 until 2014.
- Hijazi held several prestigious positions, including membership in Egypt’s Supreme Council of Culture and presidency of the Poetry Committee; he resigned from these positions after being dismissed from the editorship of “Creativity” magazine by Culture Minister Gaber Asfour.
- Throughout his poetic career, Hijazi has received numerous cultural awards, winning the Greek-Egyptian Kavafy Award in 1989, as well as the State Appreciation Prize for Literature, and the Nile Award in 2013.
His Works
Ahmad Hijazi has authored a variety of poetry collections and scholarly works, which include:
Poetry Collections
- City Without a Heart (1959)
- Oras (1959)
- Nothing Remains but Acknowledgment (1965)
- Elegy for the Beautiful Age (1972)
- Creatures of the Kingdom of Night (1983)
- Cement Trees (1989)
Critical Studies and Scholars’ Works
- Ibrahim Naji (Studies and Selections from His Poems) (1972)
- Khalil Mutran (Study and Selections from His Poems) (1975)
- The Arabness of Egypt (Study and Documents) (1979)
- Poetry is My Companion (Study and Reflections on the Poetic Experience) (1988)
- The Descendants of Shawqi (A Study on the Poetry of the New Generation of Egyptian Poets) (1992)
- Teach Your Children Poetry (Study and Selections from Egyptian Romantic Poetry) (1995)