PROFILE
The "Naughty Man": Mahmoud
El-Saadany
(Part II)
By Ahmed S. Toughan & Talaat I. Farag
Photos by Hamdy HamadaIn the last issue of The Ambassadors Magazine, we presented the profile of our sincere friend, the "Naughty Boy" Mahmoud El-Saadany: the famous Egyptian journalist, writer, and novelist. Last February, we traveled with him to a small village in Munofia governate named Zawyit Razeen, the hometown of our mutual friend the former Minister of Health & Population, Prof. Ismail Sallam. During our stay we visited a local hospital, school, and orphanage established by Prof. Sallam. While at the orphanage, we caught a glimpse of the real Naughty Boy. He was very touched by the orphaned boys and girls, for the very first time we saw tears running down his face. We were all very moved by the sight of Saadany with the orphaned children and asked ourselves: How could it be that such a strong personality that fought and struggled using satire and humor some of the most agonizing times both as prisoner and exile, had such a soft and tender heart? This drove us to chronicle, in a two-part series, the Naughty Boy's life. The first article (published in the last issue) is one perspective on El-Saadany's life. In this article, we offer a brief portrait of the Naughty Man, a writer, novelist, editor, politician, and fighter for freedom on behalf of marginalized people everywhere.
From Part I,
"Our 77-year-old, sincere friend the "Naughty Boy" is a truly unique and exceptional personality. He has had one of the most remarkable careers in journalism and has become a celebrity with millions of readers throughout the Arab world awaiting to read his weekly articles in Akhbar El-Yom (on Saturdays) and Al-Mosawir Magazine (on Thursdays). He is the author of more than 20 books and thousands of articles published in different Arab magazines and newspapers. He was the Chief Editor of Sabah El-Kheir (Good Morning), one of the most famous Arabic weekly magazines published by Rose El-Yousif and for the 23 July Weekly Magazine founded in London during the 1970s, which disappeared after 40 issues. His series of books entitled, Naughty Boy, not only described his 60-year difficult journey in journalism but also his life as a political prisoner and 100-month exile from Egypt during President Sadat's era, whom he met for the first time in Giza in the 1940s and worked with him in 1950s in Al-Gomhorria daily newspaper. This Naughty Boy became very famous as a result of this series of books which show that he is not an entertainer but a satirical novelist and writer with a clear philosophy as a solid and optimistic fighter for human rights and freedom of speech.
Who is the "Naughty Man"?
Our thanks to the journalist and photographer, Hamdy Hamada, who supplied us with rare photos of the "Naughty Man." These photos of the "Naughty Man" in London, Giza Journalists Club, and in Zawyit Razeen in Lower Egypt will be a helpful tool for better understanding of his personality and profile. The photos show that El-Saadany is a man that lives with people. His presence creates an atmosphere of community, friendship, and brotherhood.
The "Naughty Man" and Hajj Ibrahim Nafie in
London
The "Naughty Man" with Dr. Osama El-Baz and Dr. Mustafa Fahmy in
Giza Journalists Club
The "Naughty Man" with Prof. Ismail Sallam and other
intellectuals.
The "Naughty Man" with his brother the famous
actor Salah El-Saadany and his old friend political analyst Mohamed Ouda
The "Naughty Man" between his friends Mr. Toughan and Prof. Ismail Sallam in
Zawyit Razeen
The "Naughty Man," El-Masry Afandi, and the Ibn El-Balad
When the Armenian-Egyptian cartoonist Saroukhan wanted to draw a character that represented the conservative Egyptian citizen, he developed, "El-Masry Afandi" (Mr.Egypt). He is represented as a lovable and friendly person (See special article one the history of Egyptian cartoonists). A few decades later, Rakha, envisioned and represented the Egyptian citizen as Ibn El-Balad (Son of the Land) a caricature dressed in traditional clothing symbolizing chivalry and street smartness. The "Naughty Man", Mahmoud El-Saadany, actually represents both the characters drawn by Saroukhan and Rakha. In addition to his encyclopedic knowledge as well as extensive interactions with people at the local, national, regional and global levels, El-Saadany reflects everything Egyptian. Fundamentally, bringing together Saroukhan's Mr. Egypt and Rakha's Son of the Land, El-Saadany's personality represents the essence of the 21st century Egyptian character. On top of being a very charismatic person with a unique satirical style of writing which earned him the title, the "Naughty Man" is always dreaming of a world filled with freedom, justice, human rights, equality, and peace. This position is evident in all his masterworks and publications.
Like the "Naughty Man", our
mutual sincere friend, we are dreamers too!
Some of Mahmoud El-Saadany's Famous Books
Ahmed S. Toughan is an international cartoonist. He is
one of the founders of the Egyptian Al-Gomhorria Daily Newspaper in 1952.
Email: toughan1@hotmail.com.
Dr. Talaat I. Farag, MD, FRCP(E), FACP, FACMG, is a
community geneticist and syndromologist. He is the founder of The Ambassadors
Research Foundation in 1998. Email: drfarag@ambassadors.net.
Hamdy Hamada is a journalist and photographer.
