How a blind boy from a village became the Dean of Arabic Literature

Ideas & Philosophy · Published 3 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: Taha Hussein lost his sight at age two due to medical malpractice, yet he rose to become the most influential Egyptian intellectual of the 20th century. A relentless modernist and nationalist, he challenged religious orthodoxy, reshaped the Egyptian education system, and was nominated for the Nobel Prize twenty-one times.

Born in 1889 in the village of Izbet el Kilo, Taha Hussein overcame poverty and blindness to transform the cultural landscape of Egypt. After early studies at Al-Azhar University, he grew disillusioned with traditional pedagogy and sought a secular education at the newly founded Cairo University. His intellectual journey took him to France, where he earned degrees from the University of Montpellier and the Sorbonne. It was there he met Suzanne Bresseau, who became his wife and essential reader, aiding his prolific output of over sixty books and 1,300 articles.

Hussein’s career was marked by bold, often controversial intellectual stances. His 1926 work, On Pre-Islamic Poetry, ignited a firestorm by questioning the authenticity of early Arabic verse and suggesting the Quran should not be treated as an objective historical record. Despite facing accusations of insulting Islam and losing his university post in 1931, he remained a central figure in public life. He served as the Minister of Education starting in 1950, where he championed free education, converted Quranic schools into primary institutions, and founded new universities, including the University of Alexandria.

Beyond his academic and political contributions, Hussein was a staunch Egyptian nationalist who rejected pan-Arabism. In his 1936 book, The Future of Culture in Egypt, he argued that Egyptians were descendants of ancient civilizations rather than Arabs, and that Arabic functioned as a foreign language in daily life. His legacy remains complex; he was a man who navigated the tension between Western secularism and his own cultural heritage, leaving behind a body of work that includes his famous autobiography, Al-Ayyam, and extensive historical critiques. He died in 1973, leaving an indelible mark on the Arab Renaissance.

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