The Eyes of Words (1970)

Ahmed Fouad Negm (1929–2013) is one of the giants of Egyptian colloquial Arabic poetry. He is most famous for his political poems, especially his satires of the country’s ruling elites. Most audiences know his poetry through the songs of his collaborator, the singer-composer Sheikh Imam. Negm had the distinction of being imprisoned many times by Nasser, Sadat, and Mubarak.

Ahmed Hassan is a poet, lawyer, and activist in Cairo, Egypt.

Elliott Colla teaches Arabic at Georgetown University.