This year marks the 100th anniversary of the birth of Yahyia Hakki (1905-1990). Along with Mahmoud Taymour, Tawfiq A- Hakim, Naguib Mahfouz and Taha Hussein, Yahyia Hakki challenged the classical Arabic style and delved into new genres of creative writing which triggered the renaissance of Arabic literature in Egypt.
On this occasion, a symposium has been organized and critics as well as researchers have joined the ranks of such writers as Gamal Ghitani, Edouard Al Kharrat, Bahaa Taher and Ibrahim Abdel Meguid. In honor of the anniversary, a translation of a study by Miriam Cook, —”The Anatomy of an Egyptian Intellectual” — has been published. The author presents Haqqi as one of the most famous Egyptian thinkers. In his novels, articles and literary criticisms, he always showed a profound interest in human nature. The deep and keen empathy he felt for people from the humbler walks of life stems in a large part from his own life. He was born in the traditional neighborhood of Sayeda Zeinab. From his very pious mother, he took a strong faith which remained with him throughout his life and from his father, he received a love of Arabic literature.
Throughout his life, Hakki complained strongly about the weakness of classical Arabic versus colloquial Arabic. He felt that classical Arabic was being taught as if it were a foreign language. This, however, did not prevent him from using the colloquial language in his writings. Hakki shows how the colloquial language can be used to give an extra dimension to creative writing, in particular where dialogue is concerned. “A degree of realism is thus achieved that would be impossible if the classical language were used exclusively,” explains one critic.
Hakki also encouraged young writers, especially when he became the editor of the influential literary magazine, Al Magalla.
The American University in Cairo Press has also marked this anniversary by publishing “The Lamp of Umm Hashim and other Stories.” Denys Johnson-Davies who knew Yahyia Hakki personally, translated the short stories. Hakki was very humble and discreet and rarely spoke about himself. Johnson-Davies himself recalls how surprised he was to learn many years after his death that Hakki “had experienced periods of financial hardships, especially toward the end of his long life...In fact, he was helped financially by the award of the King Faisal Prize, though by that time he was not fit enough to travel to Saudi Arabia to receive it.”
Denys Johnson-Davies met Yahyia Hakki for the last time at the American University in Cairo. He was asked to speak shortly after Naguib Mahfouz was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature. Hakki did not deliver a formal speech but ended up by answering questions. He was asked whether he had ever thought he might be awarded the Nobel Prize. Unsurprisingly, he replied that he “had never entertained any such dream” for he was only too well aware that somewhere else in Cairo, there was another person with greater talent, dedication and industry than himself.
“The Lamp of Umm Hashim,” first published in 1944, is his longest and best-known work. According to Johnson-Davies, “This was the first work of fiction in Arabic to deal with the psychological difficulties faced by students returning home after being sent to Europe to complete their studies. Though published more than half a century ago, it can still be read with pleasure, for the themes around which it revolves, as summed up in Kipling’s lines about east and west never meeting, are still relevant.”