Born in 1927, Yusuf Idris was an Egyptian writer and playwright. Originally trained to be a doctor, Idris started writing a regular newspaper column while working at a hospital in Cairo. In 1954, his first anthology of short stories was published, which became a great success and were followed by several others. In total, Idris wrote 9 plays and 11 collections of short stories, which were translated into 24 languages.
Many of Idris’ writings featured realistic stories about the lives of Egyptians living in rural areas, and he is most notable for bringing colloquial dialects into his writings, unusual at that time for traditional Arabic literature. In his plays, Idris attempted to create a unique Egyptian drama, drawing inspiration from traditional folk drama and current social issues.
Idris especially pioneered the form of the Egyptian short story, many of which incorporated political topics, as Idris was politically interested and active throughout his entire life. He is said to have been nominated several times for a Nobel prize for literature. Idris died in London in 1991.
