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Wadad Kadi received her B.A. and master’s degrees in Arabic Literature, and her Ph.D. in Arabic Literature and Islamic Studies, from the American University in Beirut (AUB). She taught for three years at AUB and one year as a fellow/ lecturer at Harvard University, then returned to AUB as an associate professor in the Department of Arabic and Near Eastern Languages. She was a visiting professor at Columbia University in 1985 and an associate professor of Near Eastern Studies at Yale University for the following two years. In 1988, she was appointed Professor at the University of Chicago and was Chair of the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilization in Chicago for several years.

An erudite scholar of Arabic literature, professor Kadi has published widely in Arabic and English, including exemplary editions and anthologies of many important early texts. Her major research, which covers a broad area of ancient Arabic prose, examines texts not only as literary works but also as the expression of Medieval Islamic civilization and thought. Her work has reintroduced many important texts from the great tradition of Arabic prose, making them available to students and scholars. She authored ten books and numerous articles, reviews and chapters. She also participated in more than 50 scholarly conferences and symposia. One of her greatest accomplishments is Ibn Hayyan’s Al-Basa’ir wul Zakha’ir (9 volumes), which embodies a superb selection of ancient anthologies and classic prose.

Professor Kadi is an associate editor of E. J. Brill’s Encyclopedia of the Quran, co-editor of Brill’s series: Islamic History and Civilization and member of editorial boards of several academic journals including: Arabica, Journal of Islamic Studies and Al-Abhath. Her honors include academic prizes, visiting professorships at prestigious universities in the US, Europe and the Middle East and memberships of several professional organizations, in addition to the King Faisal International Prize for Arabic Literature.

She was also elected President of the American Society for Middle Eastern studies and her name was entered in the world Reference of Famous Women published by Cambridge University in 1986.

This biography was written in the year the prize was awarded.

Aisha Mohammad Ali Abd Al-Rahmn was better known in the Arab world by her pen nickname “Bint Al-Shati” (Daughter of the Shore). She completed her general education at home, in defiance of the prevailing tradition at that time, which discouraged females from receiving education. In the national examinations, she consistently came first on the national level. Her family was convinced to allow her to proceed to College and once again her BA, M.A. and Ph.D. degrees were all of the highest distinction. Her subsequent career as professor of Arabic language and literature spanned over 50 years, and took her to Sudan, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Morocco, and Egypt. Wherever she went, she was admired by her students and peers for her unique style of combining Islamic and Arabic studies. She employed Quranic eloquence as the basis for teaching language arts, Quranic verses as the basis for teaching linguistics and grammar, and authentication techniques of the Prophet’s sayings (Hadith) as the basis for verifying and authenticating literary citations. Her brilliant manipulation of ancient Arabic prose helped to unravel many obscurities and inaccurate citations in the material and brought it closer to the reader and researcher.

Professor Aisha Abd Al-Rahman was also a strong women’s rights advocate who adhered strictly to Islamic teachings. One bibliographer described her as a feminist wearing a head cover. Her legacy of more than 40 books on Islamic teachings, dozens of books on Arabic literature, novels, hundreds of research papers, and innumerable articles in daily and weekly newspapers over a span of 60 years made her probably the most accomplished Arab female in the 20th Century. Her contributions to Islamic and Arabic culture gained her wide recognition throughout the Arab and Islamic worlds.

She received numerous other prizes, decorations and honors. Her name was given to many schools and lecture halls in the Arab World.

This biography was written in the year the prize was awarded.

Mohammad Najm grew up in Beirut. He obtained a BA from the Department of Arabic at the American University in Beirut (AUB), an MA from AUB and MA and Ph.D. degrees from Fuad Al-Awal University in Cairo. Following his graduation in 1954, he worked at AUB until his retirement in 1998.

Professor Najm was a distinguished scholar, educator and literary critic. He authored or co-authored numerous books, editions, reviews and articles dealing with different ingredients of Arabic literature (poetry, theater, modern literature and literary criticism). One of his most important contributions in terms of translating classic books of literary criticism was an articulate translation of D. Daiches’ Critical Approaches to Literature, which became a vital reference to students and scholars of Arabic literature. Najm also translated or co-translated several other books, including Stanley Hyman’s The Armed Vision jointly with Ihsan Abbas and others, and Hamilton Gibb’s Studies on the Civilization of Islam jointly with Ihsan Abbas and Mahmud Zayed.

Professor Najm served as a Visiting Professor at Kuwait and Harvard universities and invited lecturer at the universities of Indiana, California (Los Angeles and Berkley), New York, Berlin, Frankfurt, Gottengen, and Tübingen. He was also Chairman of the Permanent Committee of Arabic Culture, and member of the Theater Committee and the Institute of Arabic Manuscripts in the Arab League Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ALESCO). He was also a member of Arabic language academies in Damascus and Cairo, the Royal Jordanian Academy for Islamic Civilization Research in Amman and the Tunisian Academy of Arts and Sciences.

In addition to the King Faisal International Prize for Arabic Literature, Professor Najm received prizes from the Arab League of Nations twice in 1955 and 1957, the Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Science in 1975, and Al Quds Medal for Culture and Arts in 1990.

This biography was written in the year the prize was awarded.

Born in Kafr Shanwan village in Shebin Al-Koum, Menoufiya (Egypt), Shukri Ayyad studied Arabic Literature at Fuad Al-Awal University in Cairo, earning his BA in 1940, MA in 1948 and Ph.D. in 1953.

Professor Ayyad was a distinguished writer, literary critic and scholar who combined profound knowledge of Arabic heritage and Islamic thought with open-mindedness towards western literary and artistic achievements. He authored numerous articles, books, reviews, editions, translations and short stories. One of his best-known translations is Aristotle on Poetics, which surpasses most other translations by its resourcefulness and clarity. Ayyad also published many other books, including The Protagonist in Novels and Fairy Tales; Taghur, The Poet of Peace and Love; The Art of Literature in a Changing World; Limited Vision and The Arab Diwan from Tribal Unity to One Nation Unity. In addition, he published six series of short stories and numerous popular articles and wrote a chapter on Arabic literature in Islamic Egypt in the Cambridge History of Arabic Literature.

Ayyad was a professor of modern Arabic literature at Cairo, Khartoum and King Saud Universities, Dean of the Theater Institute in Cairo, Chairman of the Department of Arabic Literature, Vice-Dean of the College of Arts at Cairo University and Cultural Attaché at the Egyptian Embassy in Brazil.

He died at the age of 78, after an extraordinary life devoted to

Shukri Ayyad studied Arabic Literature at Fuad Al-Awal University in Cairo, earning his B.A. in 1940, M.A. in 1948 and Ph.D. in 1953.

Professor Ayyad was a distinguished writer, literary critic and scholar, who combined profound knowledge of Arabic heritage and Islamic thought with open-mindedness towards western literary and artistic achievements. He authored numerous articles, books, reviews, editions, translations and short stories. One of his best-known translations is Aristotle on Poetics, which surpasses most other translations by its resourcefulness and clarity. Ayyad also published many other books, including The Protagonist in Novels and Fairy Tales; Taghur: The Poet of Peace and Love; The Art of Literature in a Changing World; Limited Vision and The Arab Diwan from Tribal Unity to One Nation Unity. In addition, he published six series of short stories and numerous popular articles and wrote a chapter on Arabic literature in Islamic Egypt in the Cambridge History of Arabic Literature.

Ayyad was a professor of modern Arabic literature at Cairo, Khartoum and King Saud Universities, Dean of the Theater Institute in Cairo, Chairman of the Department of Arabic Literature, Vice-Dean of the College of Arts at Cairo University and Cultural Attaché at the Egyptian Embassy in Brazil.

This biography was written in the year the prize was awarded.

Mohammad Badawi obtained his BA from Alexandria University and a Ph.D. from London University. He is a Fellow of St. Anthony’s College, Oxford, and former Professor of Modern Arabic Literature and Director of the Middle Eastern Studies Center at Oxford University. He served for many years as editor-in-chief and member of editorial boards of international journals of Middle Eastern studies. He was also a member of the editorial board of the Cambridge History of Arabic Literature.

Professor Badawi published over 30 books, editions and translations, and numerous scholarly articles and reviews in Arabic and English. His translations of literary classics into Arabic have been invaluable to Arab scholars, especially the translation of I. A. Richards’ Principles of Literary Criticism. Among his many other contributions are his books An Anthology of Modern Arabic Verse, A Critical Introduction to Modern Arabic Poetry, Modern Arabic Drama in Egypt, Modern Arabic Literature and the West, Background to Shakespeare, Coleridge: Critic of Shakespeare, and a translation into Arabic of Prophetic Invocations by Imam Al-Haddad. Badawi also translated modern Arabic classics into English, including Sara, by Abbas Mahmud Aqqad, The Thief and the Dogs by Naguib Mahfouz (translated jointly with Trevor Le Gassick), The Sultan’s Dilemma and The Song of Death by Tewfik Al-Hakim and The Saint’s Lamp and Other Stories by Yahia Haqqi. His books in Arabic, on the other hand, include: Dirasat Fi Al- Shir Wa Al-Masrah and Atlal Wa Rasail Min London.

This biography was written in the year the prize was awarded.

Ali Abd Al-Qadir Al-Siqilli was educated in Al-Qaraween University in Fez. He was the first Director of the Moroccan Royal Court Publications Department in 1956. He served for many years as a cultural counselor in the Moroccan Ministry of Foreign Affairs and as Morocco’s cultural attaché to several countries. He has also been teaching Arabic literature and language in the College of Arts and Humanities in Rabat for about 50 years and was the Inspector General of Education in Morocco.

Mr. Al-Siqilli is a remarkable educator, poet, and writer of children’s literature. He uses poetry to write tales and rural plays for children. His writings incorporate fascinating limericks and ballads designed to suit children of different ages, stimulating their imagination while providing them with experience. He also wrote for adults and translated poems from French to Arabic. The complete collection of his own poems was published in a 7-volume book. Notably, he is the author of the Moroccan national anthem.

Mr. Al-Siqilli has been a member of the Moroccan Writers Union since 1967. He participated in educational conferences and cultural festivals in his country and in several symposia in Arab and European countries. Prior to receiving the King Faisal International Prize for Arabic Literature, he was awarded Morocco’s Grand Prize in 1981.

Mr. All Abd Al-Qadir Al-Siqilli chose poetry as the medium of his stories. His delightful limericks and more formal stanzas combine music and concrete flavor. Religion is a major inspiration for his tales about the city and the countryside.

This biography was written in the year the prize was awarded.

Ahmed Najeeb obtained his BA and MA degrees in Arts from Cairo University. He also obtained a degree from the Teachers’ Institute for Higher Studies in Cairo, and certificates from the Egyptian National Planning Institute, the German Academy of Educational Sciences in Berlin, and the International Institute of Educational Planning in France. He held several essential educational and administrative responsibilities in Egypt.

Mr. Najeeb was one of the most popular Arab writers of children’s fiction; he wrote more than 200 books for children, one of which sold over 9 million copies. His writings combine great talent with a profound knowledge of children’s psychological and emotional needs and their linguistic and mental limits. He edited an international series of children’s stories, which was published simultaneously in Cairo, Beirut, Casablanca, Madrid, Geneva, and Paris. He also edited Al-Mukhtar children’s magazine, published by the Arab Council for Children. At least eleven of his academic books on children’s literature are used for teaching in Arab and western universities. One of these books on the art of writing for children sold more than 3 million copies within the first week of its publication.

Najeeb was a member of the Egyptian Supreme Council for Culture, and the Egyptian Writers Union. He won many awards including the Egyptian State Prize for Children’s Literature in 1972; the Science and Arts Medal (First Class) in 1972; the Egyptian Order of Distinction (First Class); the First Prize in Arts from the Kuwaiti Research Institute in 1976, the Children’s Day Prize and Plaques of the Egyptian Radio and Television Union and the governorate of Aswan in 1986. 

This biography was written in the year the prize was awarded.

Abd Al-Tawwab Yousef obtained a BA in political sciences from the College of Commerce in Cairo University in 1949. He held several administrative responsibilities and headed the Department of Culture in the Public Relations Administration of the Arab Socialist Union until 1975, when he resigned to devote his time entirely to writing.

Yusuf is a giant of children’s literature. As an admired and prolific writer, he authored close to 400 books and tales written especially for children, of which more than 20 million copies were printed. He also edits fascinating children magazines and presents radio and television programs that attract a large audience of children. His books typically combine the pleasures of a stimulating imagination with a subtle moral message. Some of his stories were translated into English, French, German, Spanish, Chinese, Persian and Urdu. He also wrote around 30 academic books relating to children’s educational and cultural guidance.

Mr. Yusuf founded Al-Fardus, the first monthly Islamic magazine for children, and the Society for Child Literature in the 1960’s and organized the first conference on Child Literature in the Arab world in 1970. Since its inception, he has been a member of the Children’s Committee of the Egyptian Supreme Council for Culture, and was a member of the Board of the Egyptian Writers’ Union for 8 years. He was also a member of the Child and Family Committee of the Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs. He was awarded numerous prizes and medals including the Egyptian State Prizes for Children’s Literature (with First Class Medal) in 1975, and Children’s Culture (with Second Class Medal) in 1981, as well as prizes from UNESCO in 1975, and the Union of Arab Radio Stations.

Abd Al-Tawwab Yousef wrote beautiful children’s stories in urban and rural set­tings. A subtle moral message pervades his work and meshes with the pleasure given by a fertile imagination. A rich vocabulary introduces the child to the treasures of his tongue with­out taxing his abilities.

This biography was written in the year the prize was awarded.

Yahia Haqqi was originally trained as a lawyer and served as a diplomat in his country’s missions in Turkey, Italy, France, and elsewhere, but it was not long before he realized that he was born to be a writer. Thus, he resigned his lucrative job to become a full time novelist.

Haqqi was a writer with great passion and imagination. He published his first novel in 1926 at the age of 20. For the next 60 years, he wrote a superb collection of novels and short stories that placed him at the forefront of modern Arabic short story writers. His belief in the role of literature as a driving force of life and an enhancer of society’s values, was strikingly evident in his writings. Some of his greatest novels are Qandil Um Hashim (The Saint’s Lamp), Sah al-naum (Wake Up), Dimaa wa Teen (Blood and Mud) and Al-Bostaji (The Postman), which reflect social changes in Egypt since the first quarter of the 20th century. In these novels,

as in all his other works, he maintained a richly poetic style and imagery without losing track of his heritage. He also wrote an autobiography entitled Kalliha ala Allah (Leave it to God) and some books of literary criticism.

Yahia Haqqi was a prominent figure in the cultural life of Egypt. He contributed significantly to the creation of art institutes, theaters, and folklore troupes in his country. Apart from the King Faisal International Prize for Arabic Literature, his numerous awards include honorary doctoral degrees, the Egyptian State Prize for Literature in 1969, Egyptian Order of Merit, and French Order of Knight in 1983. His books were translated into different languages and his life and works are still the subject of extensive study both in the Arab world and the West.

This biography was written in the year the prize was awarded.

Yousef Khulaif obtained his BA, MA and Ph.D. Degrees in Arabic Language and Literature from the College of Arts in Fuad Al-Awal University in Cairo. Following his graduation in 1956, he was appointed Lecturer in the Department of Arabic Language and became full professor of Arabic Language and Literature in 1972, and Chairman of the Department from 1975 to his retirement in 1981. Thereafter, he was appointed Professor Emeritus at Cairo University. He also served as Convener of the Supreme Council of Culture Prize Committee in Arabic Literature in Egypt, editor in the Arabic Language Academy in Cairo, and Professor of Arabic Literature in Kuwait for three years.

Professor Khulaif’s distinguished contributions are embodied in several books, reviews, anthologies and research articles. Some of his best known books are: Al Sa’alik Poets in Pre-Islamic Literature, Dhu Al-Rummah: The Poet of Love and Desert, Poetry in Kufa to the End of the Second Century A.D. A poet himself, Khulaif published two collections of poems. He also published studies on the Holy Quran and the Prophet’s sayings.

This biography was written in the year the prize was awarded.