Muhammad al-Fayturi

Al-Fayturi was born in 1936 in Al Geneina in Western Darfur, Sudan, from the Masalit people. His father was a Sufi sheikh of Libyan Bedouin origin, and his mother's family was from a Gulf tribe. He grew up in Alexandria, Egypt, and studied Islamic sciences, philosophy and history at Al-Azhar University until 1953, and then continued his studies in literature at Cairo University.[1] After this, he joined the Institute of Political Science of Cairo.

Al-Fayturi started writing classical Arabic poetry at the age of 13, and later became one of the major figures of contemporary Arabic poetry.

Al-Fayturi worked as journalist, and later, editor for Sudanese or Egyptian newspapers at the age of 17. Moreover, he was an acclaimed poet, and also was appointed as diplomat, political/cultural counselor, and then ambassador of Libya in several countries, including Lebanon and Morocco. From 1968–1970, he was appointed as an expert for the Arab League. He also was a member of the Union of Arab Writers.

In English translations, some of his most notable poetry collections were called The Songs of Africa, Sunrise and Moonset, or Lover from Africa. In an obituary, the Lebanese newspaper The Daily Star wrote: "His work particularly draws upon his experience as an African living among Arabs, and thus addresses issues such as race, class and colonialism."[2]

Poetry

• Aga'nni Afriqia, Arabicأغاني إفريقيا or The Songs of Africa, poetry collection, published 1956.
• Ashiq meen Afriqia, Arabic عاشق من إفريقيا Lover from Africa poetry collection, 1964.
• Azkor'inni Yaa Afriqia, Arabicاذكريني يا إفريقيا,or Remember Me Africa, poetry collection, 1965.
• Seqoe't Dobshliem, Arabic سقوط دبشليم, or Collapse of Doapashalim, poetry collection, 1968.
• Ma'zoffa lee Darawessh Matagool, Arabic معزوفة لدرويش متجول, or The Lyric of Roaming Dervish, poetry collection 1969.
• Al-battel w'el thorra w'el Mshnaqeh, Arabic البطل والثورة والمشنقة or Hero, Revolution and Gallows, 1972 poetry collection.
• Agawall Shahid Atheba't, Arabic أقوال شاهد إثبات,or The Saying of Witness, poetry, 1973.
• Abtasami hatta tamo'r el-khail, Arabic ابتسمي حتى تمر الخيل, or Smile Until The Horses Passes, poetry, 1975.
• Aesfoort el' daam, Arabic عصفورة الدم, or Bloody Bird, poetry, 1983.

Theatrical plays

• Solara, Arabic سولارا, drama, 1970.
• Thorrat Omer El-mokhata'r, Arabic ثورة عمر المختار, or The Revolution of Omer El-Mokhata'r, drama, 1974

Nonfiction

• Allam Al-Sahafa al-arabia wa-al Ajnabiya, Arabic عالم الصحافة العربية والأجنبية, or The World of Arab and Foreign Journalism, Damascus, 1981.
• Al-moojab wa-al s'alieb. Arabic الموجب والسالب في الصحافة العربية, or The Positive and Negative in Arab World Journalism, Study, Damascus, 1986.

• Babikir, Adil (ed.) (2019). Modern Sudanese Poetry: An Anthology. Lincoln, NE, USA. ISBN 978-1-4962-1563-5
• Gohar, M. S., & Smithsonian Libraries. 2007). Confronting the history of slavery and colonization in the poetry of M. Al-Fayturi and Langston Hughes. Research Review-Institute of African Studies, p. 1-21.
• Oladosu, Afis Ayinde.(2008) Is It Because My Face Is Black? Journal of Arabic Literature,vol. 39/2, p. 184–215.ISSN 0085-2376

• Sorrows of the Black City on poetrytranslation.org
• Interview: Umm Kulthum asked me to "recap" the poem .. and she refused