Today’s Doodle celebrates Ihsan Abdel Koddous, an Egyptian journalist and author who wrote about current events in addition to fictional novels and short stories. Koddous wrote over 60 fictional books and short stories.
On this day in 2022, the first widespread English translation for Koddous’ book, “I Do Not Sleep”, was released. It appealed to the masses in Arabic and across the world when he wrote it in the 1950s, but it wouldn’t be translated into English until much later because literary critics dismissed his simple, direct style.
He developed a love for reading in his youth and began writing short stories and poems at age 11. After graduating from law school, he worked as an apprentice lawyer while trying out a journalism career at a magazine founded by his mother, Rose Al-Yousef.
As a journalist, Koddous covered a variety of current events. In his popular column A Cafe on Politics Street, he wrote about social issues with a conversational narrative technique, similar to discussions a person might overhear in a cafe.
Koddous almost tackled all concerned themes in his books, such as love, politics, psychology of social behavior, spirituality and religion. Strong female characters were central in many of his works, with books like “I Am Free” advocating for women’s equality and independence.
Today, people around the world can appreciate the dozens of films adapted from his novels and enjoy his books that have been translated into German, French, English, Ukrainian, and Chinese.
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