Professor Abd Allah Al-Tayyeb
King Faisal Prize in Arabic Language and Literature 2000 Laureate
Topic: "Studies Pertaining to Early Arab Literary Critics "
We have to realize the essence of the differences between the social values today and in the pre-Islamic era, then try to extract the deep, immortal, and artistic common foundations in spite of era difference
Abdullah Al-Tayyeb had a remarkable academic career of more than half a century, during which he emerged as one of the most prominent scholars of Arabic literature and language in the 20th Century.
The versatility of Al-Tayyib’s works is best exemplified by his groundbreaking book: A Guide to Understanding Arabic Poetry, an enormous Arabic text, written over a 35-year period. The first three volumes are regarded as the most thorough analysis known of the composition, rhythm, unity and other features of Arabic poetry since pre-Islamic eras. The fourth volume – a landmark text of over 1,500 pages – includes exhaustive details of the role of both ancient and modern Arabic literary critics, the development of the Arabic poem through the centuries, and its impact on European poets from Dante to Andrew Marvel, Blake and the Romantic poets. Professor Al-Tayyeb wrote hundreds of other books and scholarly and literary articles in Arabic and English, covering Arabic poetry, prose, anthology and literary criticism., In addition to his own poems, novels, plays and children’s stories, he also contributed several entries to the British Encyclopedia on prominent modern Arab writers and poets. His other English texts include Heroes of Arabia and Stories from the Sands of Arabia. His radio program on the interpretation and linguistic wonders of the Holy Qur’an continued for 35 years.
Professor Al-Tayyeb was also a prominent academician and administrator. He was Dean of the College of Arts at Khartoum University in 1961, and subsequently Vice-Chancellor of Khartoum and Juba Universities in Sudan in 1965. After his retirement, he was appointed Professor Emeritus at Khartoum University in 1977. He also served as the President of the Arab Language Academy in Khartoum in 1990, and a member of the Arabic Language Academy in Cairo, and was a professor, a visiting professor, or an invited lecturer at several African and Arab universities and other learned institutions. Al-Tayyib’s contributions were recognized by a host of prizes, medals and honorary doctorates.
This biography was written in the year the prize was awarded.
Professor Abd Allah Al-Tayyeb passed away in Khartoum on 19/6/2003.