Ihsan Abdel Quddous

Infobox Person
name = Ihsan Abdel Quddous


image_size = 160px
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birth_date = birth date|1919|1|11|mf=y
birth_place =
death_date = death date and age|1990|1|12|1919|1|11|mf=y
death_place =
occupation = Novelist, writer, journalist
spouse =
parents =
children =

Ihsan Abdel Quddous ( _ar. إحسان عبد القدوس, ArTranslit|Iḥsān ‘Abd al-Quddoūs) (January 1 1919 – January 11 1990) was an Egyptian writer, novelist, and journalist and editor in the Al Akhbar and Al-Ahram newspapers. He is known to have written many novels that have been adapted in films.

Early life and education

Abdel Quddous was born to a Muslim family of Turkish-Egyptian ancestry. His favorite hobby as a child was reading. At the age of eleven, he started writing short stories and classical poems.cite web | url =http://www2.sis.gov.eg/En/Calender/default1.asp?id=2000000000000000000008 | title =Ihsan Abdel Quddous| accessdate =2007-03-22 | publisher =Egypt State Information Service |language=] His father, Mohamed Abdel Quddous, an Egyptian theatre and film actor, motivated him to pursue a career in law. Ihsan graduated from law school in 1942 and worked as a lawyer. He was, at the beginning of his career, a trainee for the law firm of Edward Qussairi, a famous Egyptian lawyer. He was also an editor in Rosa al Youssef, a weekly magazine that his mother Fatima al Youssef (aka Rosa al Youssef) had founded.cite web | url =http://www.syrianstory.com/a-kadousse.htm | title =Biography| accessdate =2007-02-02 | publisher =Syrian Story |language= Arabic] cite web | url =http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C0CE7DA1438F935A25752C0A966958260 | title = Ihsan Abdel Kuddous, An Egyptian Writer, 71| accessdate =2007-02-02 | publisher =New York Times] cite web | url =http://www.raya.com/site/topics/article.asp?cu_no=2&item_no=216862&version=1&template_id=29&parent_id=28 | title = It has been 17 years| author =Bayyoumi, Khalid | accessdate =2007-02-06 | publisher =Al-Rayah | language = Arabic] cite web | url =http://www.raya.com/site/topics/article.asp?cu_no=2&item_no=216862&version=1&template_id=29&parent_id=28 | title = Egyptians commemorate Ihsan Abdel Quddous | accessdate =2007-02-06 | publisher =Alwatan | language = Arabic]

Literary and journalism career

In 1944, he started writing film scripts, short stories, and novels. He later left his law career to focus on his literary career. A few years later, he became a distinguished journalist in the Al Akhbar newspaper, where he worked for eight years. He then worked in the Al-Ahram newspaper and became its editor-in-chief. He often criticized important personalities, which got him imprisoned three times throughout his journalism career.

Ihsan regarded women as symbols of sacrifice in the Egyptian society which was why women were the central theme of his literary works. His works influentially contributed to bring change in the conventional concepts in Egypt. Contrary to his literary works, he was a very conservative person. He was known to have a resisting personality and had been a strict husband and father in his house. He wrote more than 60 novels and collections of short stories. Of his novels, five were dramatized, nine were used as radio series scripts, ten had television miniseries adaptations, and 49 had film adaptations. His works have been translated to several foreign languages including the English, French, German, Ukrainian, and Chinese languages. Ihsan also co-founded the Egyptian Story Club.

Ihsan Abdel Quddous died on Thursday January 12 1990 after suffering from a stroke.

His son, Mohamed Ihsan Abdel Quddous, named after his grandfather, is a well-known journalist.

Awards and honors

Ihsan Abdel Quddous received his first award for writing the novel "My Blood, My Tears, My Smile" in 1973. Two years later, in 1975, he received a Best Screenplay award for his novel "The Bullet is Still in my Pocket". He was honored by the former Egyptian president Gamal Abdel Nasser with an Order of Merit of the First Class. Shortly after his death in 1990, the incumbent Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak honored him with an Order of the Republic of the First Class.

References

External links

*imdb name|id=0008135|name=Ihsan Abdel Koudous

Persondata
NAME=Abdel Quddous, Ihsan
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=‘Abd al-Quddoūs, Iḥsān; إحسان عبد القدوس (Arabic)
SHORT DESCRIPTION=Egyptian writer and journalist
DATE OF BIRTH=January 11 1919
PLACE OF BIRTH=
DATE OF DEATH=January 12 1990
PLACE OF DEATH=