Ahmed Fouad Negm, Egyptian vernacular poet, 84, died on December 3. Negm was popularly known as poet of the people and was known for his patriotic and revolutionary Egyptian Arabic poetry.
Mohammed Hashem, Negm's close friend has confirmed the death. For now, cause of the death is not known. Negm's work acted as s source of inspiration for other poets. His poetry used to act as an unvarnished reflection of the nation's history.
In his verses, Negm has talked about how the nation has witnessed defeat from Israel in 1967. It in the 1970s and 1980s that Negm's takent got recognized and he tasted success.
Blind musician Sheik Imam Issa has sung his poetry and that gave him that extra edge in terms of fame. With passage of time, they started performing together in coffee houses. Seeing them, a number of youngsters got inspired.
His poetry was a perfect mix of love for the nation as well as a reflection of ills present in the country. "We are a society that only cares about the hungry when they are voters and only cares about the naked when they are women", once said Negm. It is said that Negm was hard critic of Islamists.
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