The Egyptian Spartacus: The poetry of Amal Dunqul

Abstract

Mounting sociopolitical changes, along with the incompetence of the post-revolutionary regimes in Egypt have functioned as adequate themes for the writings of Amal Dunqul. He adopted "speaking truth to power" as an ideology to not only document the consequences for such sociopolitical turbulence but also to face the incompetence of the authority. He employed this concept in his writings to empower his people to move to ask for their rights. He believed in the strong role of literature in changing societies. The paper, thus, displays the role of Amal Dunqul as a real intellectual who courageously speaks truth to power fearless of any consequences. It also illustrates how he was influenced by the socio-political turbulence took place especially after 1952 revolution and the defeat of 1967. In addition to analyzing his stance towards the authority of Nasser and Sadat in his poetry and how he stood against their policies.