Many Egyptians take a moment of grieving silence for the death of Abdel Rahaman el-Abnudi, the esteemed Egyptian poet who passed away on Tuesday at the age of 76. After years of battling illness and deteriorating lungs, el-Abnudi passed away earlier this afternoon due to repercussions and health complications following a brain surgery he underwent on Sunday. Dubbed “Al-Khal” (The Uncle), el-Abnudi was the voice the poor, the impoverished, the working class, the peasants, and a wide base of simple Egyptians whose voices barely found room to be heard. His poetry which was written in the Egyptian dialect (al’amiyya) rather than classical Arabic (fusha) reflected the hopes, fears, aches and dreams of a people which made his works relatable to the common man. El-Abnudi was born in 1939 in Abnud Village of Qena Governorate in Upper Egypt to Mahmoud el-Abnudi, a marriage official. His upbringing in Qena was highly influential to his appreciation for language and poetry. It was back in his hometown that he grew to Al-Sirah Al-Hilaliyyah, also known as Al-Hilali epic, an oral epic poet of the Arab folk. Among his most famous collections of poetry…
