Social Criticism in Abdel Rahman Shukri’s Poetic and Prose Works (A Textual Study)

Abstract

Abdur Rahman Shukri is a famous Arabic poet who achieved vast knowledge and became famous worldwide. Ironically, the people of his generation disdained him and denied his virtue and superiority. Accordingly, it was not easy to find studies or scientific research written about him. It seems to be an injustice to his merits. He felt this injustice as his poetry and prose covered a tinge of pain and suffocated sadness. According to his autobiographical information, he was the first among the Arabic poets to obtain a university degree from a Western country. He acquired a certificate in history at an early age and was appointed at the Egyptian Ministry of Education schools as a history and English teacher. Then he was promoted to principal of a secondary school and eventually to an inspector. After that, his career stopped as he could neither flatter anybody nor compromise about any matter. This research monitors the echoes of his ideas, trends, interests, and efforts, and collects the fair testimonies that were said about him by sincere people who wrote about him to form a true, clear, vivid, and frank picture of his career. This research also contributes to clarifying the aspects of his scientific, literary, intellectual, and moral personality that are unknown or semi-unknown to many people. This research is distinctive in that it considers textual records carefully and examines the summary of his thoughts and interests as portrayed in his literary productions including poetry and prose.