Mohammed Abed Elhai

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Mohammed Abed Elhai
Birth name	Mohammed Abed Elhai Mahm'od
Born	11 January 1944(1944-01-11)
Origin	Khartoum, Sudan
Died	23 August 1989 (aged 45)
Occupation(s)	Lecturer inKhartoum University,head of Culture Corporation(Sudan)
Years active	mid of 1960s -1980s

Mohammed Abed El-hai Mahm'od (11 January 1944-23 August 1989) Arabic 'محمد عبد الحي is a well known member of the first generation of post-colonial Sudanese writers and academics. He is regarded as a pioneer of modern poetry in Sudan.

1 Early life
2 Career
3 Works
4 References
5 See also

[edit] Early life

Mohammed was born in Khartoum on 11 January 1944. His father worked as a civil servant, a surveyor, and due to the nature of his work he visited different regions of Sudan, like the Nuba Mountains Region, El-Renk town in Upper Nile State, Blue Nile regions, Wad Medani town, Korti and Abu Hamad in Northern State.

Mohammed accompanied his father in his travels, giving him an understanding of the diverse and multiracial culture of Sudan. This had a great influence later in his poetry, which focuses on the dilemma of identity in Sudan.

Mohammed Abed El-hai comes from a family with a history of writing poetry: His mother was Ezeiza Ismail Fouzi (b.1924), and her father was also a surveyor and wrote poetry, as did his son Saad.

His mother said about her son: since he was a child he was fond of reading, for example El-Sobiaan (The Kids), a Sudanese children's magazine, and other magazines from outside Sudan. He started writing poetry about life and nature at a young age. When his father discovered he was writing poetry, he stopped him, fearing it would lead Mohammed to fail in school.

Later his father let Mohmmed write after his friend Jamal Mohammed Ahmed, the Sudanese ambassador in Lebanon at that time, told him that many Lebanese poets asked about Mohammed and his poetry. He became serious about poetry when he was in secondary school in Hentoob School, close to Wad Medani.

[edit] Career

Mohammed initially studied medicine, but his interestes led him to change his area of study to art. Mohammed entered Khartoum University in 1962.

In 1963 Mohammed wrote his first poem to celebrate his sister's marriage. He also wrote and recited a poem about El-Gorashy titled Areiss elmagged, or Groom of Glory. He recited this poem while El-Gorashy had been buried after Mohammed got a permission from his El-Gorashy's mother.

When he joined the university in 1962 he became a well know poet and he published in many Sudanese newspapers, like Al-Rayaam Newspaper on the page called El-jamaa'a or the university.

In 1963 he released one of his prominent and brilliant works, "Alawada alla Sennar", or "Return to Sennar", which was first published in Al-Rayaam, then in Egypt's Mejalaat Elshe'r or Poetry Magazine, and in one of the Lebanese magazine. "Alawada alla Sennar" focuses on the Sudanese identity between Islam/Arab culture on one side and African on the other side, and uses the Kingdom of Sennar as a historical symbol and how it was founded by both culture Arab and African. He also used a heritage of sufiism and mythology in Kingdom of Sennar in his poetry, and gave Sennar the view or sense of Babylon. "Alawada alla Sennar" is regarded by many critics today as a brilliant work of genius, because in addition to his literary value Abed elhai touches on the dilemma of identity in Sudan which currently lead to a mass conflict and ethnic clashes according to a point of view of many critics.

Mohammed Abed El-hai was awarded a Bachelor of Arts from Khartoum University with honour degree second upper in 1967, then appointed a teaching assistant in the English department. He then got a scholarship and was sent to England, where he was awarded a Master of Arts in English literature from Leeds University in 1970. Mohammed focused in his Masters research on Scottish poet Edwin Muir. Mohammed was awarded a PhD in English Literature from Oxford University in 1973. His PhD focuses on the influence of American and English romantic thinking on Arabic poetry. He was a Lecturer in Khartoum University and he had worked in Khartoum University as head of the English Department, and also was head of the translation department. In early 1970s Mohammed collaborated with Yousif Ayd'aabi to edit the culture section in Sah'afa Newspaper, which later was abolished by the government. Mohammed Abed El-hai was head of the Cultural Corporation from 1976 until the early 1980s. He then returned to Khartoum University as a member of the Faculty of Arts, where he founded the Addab (Art) magazine, which was published by the University, and where he stayed until his death. Mohammed had two daughters, Shiraz and Reel, and two sons, Waddah and Mohammed Elmoatz. Mohammed Abed El-hai died on the 23 of August 1989 in Soba University Hospital, Khartoum.