Taha Husayn — Dean of Arabic Literature

Taha Husayn was born on 15 November 1889 in Itay al-Barud (Beheira Governorate, Egypt). He lost his sight at the age of three through a medical error (a traditional treatment for smallpox blinded his eyes). Despite this, he gained an advanced education: he studied at Al-Azhar and then at the Egyptian University (later Cairo University), graduating in 1914.

He received a scholarship to the Sorbonne in Paris (1914–1919), where he earned a doctorate on the social philosophy of Ibn Khaldun — one of the first Arab dissertations to introduce Ibn Khaldun to the West.

He returned to Egypt, and in 1926 published "On Pre-Islamic Poetry" which questioned the attribution of much of the pre-Islamic poetry (the Mu'allaqat) to the Jahiliyyah era. The book caused controversy across the entire Arab world — including Syria, Egypt, and Lebanon — was banned by the Egyptian government, and Husayn was tried for it. He was later rehabilitated as a pioneer of modern literary criticism.

His major works:

• The Days (3 volumes, 1929–1967) — his autobiography, considered one of the most important works of Arabic literature of the 20th century
• Arabic Literature — studies of the history of Arabic literature
• The Call of the Curlew, Honeymoon, A Week with Abu al-Ala, Enemies of Society — short novels

He served as Egyptian Minister of Education (1950), and as a cultural advisor. In 1970 he received the French Order of Arts and Letters. He died on 28 October 1973 CE.

Connection to Syria: Although Taha Husayn was Egyptian, his influence extended to Syria: his books were published and taught in Damascus and Beirut, he influenced the Syrian literary and university scene of the 1930s and 1940s, and a whole generation of Syrian writers read him. However, Taha Husayn himself never studied or worked in Syria, and had no direct connection to Syrian institutions.