''The Days'' ( ar, الأيام, Al-Ayyām) is a novelized

autobiography An autobiography, sometimes informally called an autobio, is a self-written account of one's own life. It is a form of biography. Definition The word "autobiography" was first used deprecatingly by William Taylor in 1797 in the English peri ...

in three volumes by the Egyptian professor

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 ...

, published between 1926 and 1967. It deals with his childhood in a small village, then his studies in Egypt and France. It is one of the most popular works of modern

Arabic literature Arabic literature ( ar, الأدب العربي / ALA-LC: ''al-Adab al-‘Arabī'') is the writing, both as prose and poetry, produced by writers in the Arabic language. The Arabic word used for literature is '' Adab'', which is derived from ...

Volumes

The first volume was serialized in '' Al-Hilal'', a literary magazine, from January 1926 to January 1927, then published as a book in 1929. It covers the author's childhood, with themes of the ignorance prevalent in rural Egypt and the customs practiced at that time, and provides a detailed description of traditional Islamic education. It is written in a mixture of first and third person narrative. Hussein often interrupts himself, suggesting a lack of control. There are many references to the art of listening and descriptive details about the way things smell or feel, as Hussein subtly reveals that he has gone blind. It was published in English in 1932, titled ''An Egyptian Childhood'' and translated by E. H. Paxton. Volume two was published as a book in 1940. It covers the time from his entrance into Al-Azhar to his entrance into

Cairo University Cairo University ( ar, جامعة القاهرة, Jāmi‘a al-Qāhira), also known as the Egyptian University from 1908 to 1940, and King Fuad I University and Fu'ād al-Awwal University from 1940 to 1952, is Egypt's premier public university ...

, focusing on his rebellion against his teachers and the traditions of Al-Azhar.

Hilary Wayment Hilary Godwin Wayment OBE, FSA (1912–2005) was a British author and historian of stained glass. Early life Wayment was born in Woolwich, east London on 23 April 1912, the son of Alfred Wayment, headmaster of the local church school. His ...

translated it as ''The Stream of Days'' in 1948. The third volume was serialized from March 1955 to June 1955 in the magazine ''

Akher Saa ''Akher Saa'' (Arabic: آخر ساعة; ''the Last Hour'') is an Arabic-language weekly consumer magazine published in Egypt. The magazine is also described as a photo magazine. Launched in 1924 it is among the oldest publications in the country. ...

'', then published as a book in 1967. It is about the author's time at Cairo University, then his studies in France, where he obtained a doctorate degree, and finally his return to Egypt, where he became a professor. An English translation by

Kenneth Cragg Albert Kenneth Cragg (8 March 1913 – 13 November 2012) was an Anglican bishop and scholar who commented widely on religious topics for more than fifty years, most notably Christian– Muslim relations. Early life and education Cragg was born ...

was published in 1973, under the title ''A Passage to France''.

Reception and influence

According to scholar

Fedwa Malti-Douglas Fedwa Malti-Douglas (born 1946) is a Lebanese-American professor and writer. She is a professor emeritus at Indiana University Bloomington. Malti-Douglas has written several books, including ''The Star Report Disrobed'' (2000). She received a Nat ...

, "no other work of modern Arabic literature is so familiar to readers in both the Arab world and the West." The stylistic techniques employed by Hussein, especially the ironic dialogue between the narrator and the Hussein's childhood self, had a significant impact on the development of the Arabic novel.

References

Bibliography

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Days, The 1929 books Egyptian books Literary autobiographies Books by Taha Hussein