The Egyptian journal ''al-Katib al-misri'' (

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic languages, Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C ...

: الكاتب المصري; DMG: al-Kātib al-miṣrī;

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

: "The Egyptian Writer") was published in Cairo monthly in the period 1945–1948. It featured articles on literature, arts and science. Although its publisher was Jewish, the magazine did not emphasize this fact. However,

Taha Hussein Taha Hussein (, ar, طه حسين; November 15, 1889 – October 28, 1973) was one of the most influential 20th-century Egyptian writers and intellectuals, and a figurehead for the Nahda, Egyptian Renaissance and the modernism, modernist movem ...

, editor of the magazine, was accused of being part of the Zionist movement due to his post.

History and profile

''Al-Katib al-misri'' was founded originally by the Egyptian Press and Publishing House owned by the Jewish Al Harari family who entrusted Taha Hussein with the management. The magazine was modelled on the French magazine ''

Les Temps modernes ''Les Temps Modernes'' (''Modern Times'') is a French journal, founded by Simone de Beauvoir, Jean-Paul Sartre, and Maurice Merleau-Ponty. It first issue was published in October 1945. It was named after the 1936 film by Charlie Chaplin. ''L ...

''. The first issue appeared in October 1945. The magazine published a total of 32 issues and was available in numerous Arab metropolises.May Hawas. (2018). Taha Hussein and the Case for World Literature. ''Comparative Literature Studies'' 55(1), pp. 66–92. The last issue of ''al-Katib al-misri'' was dated May 1948. The focus of the journal was the publication of international literature and literary criticism, which were translated into Arabic and so helped to reach a broader readership. Both Arabic and non-Arabic art, literature and science were encouraged and a dialogue between Arabic and other languages should be established. As one of the first post-war magazines, ''al-Katib al-misri'' also aimed to make its vision of the enlightenment accessible to all and to promote mutual cultural exchange.Jens Hanssen and Max Weiss. (2018). ''Arabic Thought against the Authoritarian Age: Towards an Intellectual History of the Present''. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, pp. 45–46. "Literature should be lifted above all conflicts existing world-wide."''al-Kātib al-Miṣrī'' (1945). 1(1-3). Major contributors included

Mahmud Taymur Mahmud Taymur (16 June 1894–25 August 1973) was a Fiction, fiction writer. He contributed to several publications. Biography He was born in Cairo on 16 June 1894. into a family famous for literature. His father, Ahmed Taymour (1871-1930) was a ...

, Tawfiq Al Hakim, Mohammed Mahdi Al Jawahiri,

Yahya Haqqi Yahya Haqqi (Arabic:) (7 January 1905 – 9 December 1992) (or Yehia Hakki, Yehia Haqqi) was an Egyptian writer and novelist. Born to a middle-class family in Cairo, he was a lawyer by profession who graduated from the Cairo School of Law in 19 ...

and Luwis Awad. Arabic translations among others, of works by

Antoine de Saint-Exupéry Antoine Marie Jean-Baptiste Roger, comte de Saint-Exupéry, simply known as Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (, , ; 29 June 1900 – 31 July 1944), was a French writer, poet, aristocrat, journalist and pioneering aviator. He became a laureate of s ...

Jean-Paul Sartre Jean-Paul Charles Aymard Sartre (, ; ; 21 June 1905 – 15 April 1980) was one of the key figures in the philosophy of existentialism (and phenomenology), a French playwright, novelist, screenwriter, political activist, biographer, and litera ...

, were published, texts of promising new Arab authorsChristopher Dwight Micklethwait. (2010). Faits Divers: National Culture and Modernism in Third World Literary Magazines. PhD Thesis. The University of Texas at Austin, pp. 175, 184. as well as literary criticism, which also offered an introduction by Western authors such as

James Joyce James Augustine Aloysius Joyce (2 February 1882 – 13 January 1941) was an Irish novelist, poet, and literary critic. He contributed to the modernist avant-garde movement and is regarded as one of the most influential and important writers of ...

Franz Kafka Franz Kafka (3 July 1883 – 3 June 1924) was a German-speaking Bohemian novelist and short-story writer, widely regarded as one of the major figures of 20th-century literature. His work fuses elements of realism and the fantastic. It ...

.Elisabeth Kendall. (2006). ''Literature, Journalism and the Avant-Garde: Intersection in Egypt''. Routledge, New York; London, pp. 55 ff. Moreover, two other sections also discussed in detail the contents and orientations of Arabic and European periodicals of the time. In 1948, the publication of the magazine was stopped, whereby it is not clear whether this was spontaneous or under governmental pressure.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Katib Misri 1945 establishments in Egypt 1948 disestablishments in Egypt Arabic-language magazines Defunct literary magazines published in Egypt Magazines established in 1945 Magazines disestablished in 1948 Magazines published in Cairo Monthly magazines published in Egypt Jewish magazines