Ḥikāyāt Samrā’: Aṣābi‘ al-mawz al-maksūrah Arabic 2025

Samra Tales
Samra Tales: Broken Banana Fingers

Abdel Rahman El-Abnoudy

Abdel Rahman El-Abnoudy was one of the most renowned vernacular (colloquial) poets in Egypt and the Arab world. Through his work and influence, colloquial poetry underwent an important transitional phase in its history. He wrote lyrics for major singers, and his works ranged across emotional, national, and folk themes.

El-Abnoudy was born in 1938 in the village of Abnoud, in Qena Governorate in Upper Egypt. His father worked as a religious registrar. El-Abnoudy later moved to the city of Qena, where he listened to and was deeply influenced by the songs of the Hilali Epic (Al-Sīra al-Hilāliyya).

One of his most famous achievements is his collection of the Hilali Epic, which he gathered from poets of Upper Egypt rather than composing himself. Among his best-known books is My Sweet Days, which was first published in separate installments in the supplement Ayyamna al-Helwa of Al-Ahram newspaper, and later compiled into a three-volume book. In it, El-Abnoudy recounts various stories and events from his life in Upper Egypt.

El-Abnoudy received the State Appreciation Award in 2001, becoming the first Egyptian colloquial poet to be honored with this prestigious national award.