Fiction writer, critic and translator Youssef Al-Sharouni passed away at the age of 93 last week. Born Youssef Ishaq in 1924, Al-Sharouni published his first collection of short stories, The Five Lovers, in 1954; the book, according to his daughter, was to remain the closest to his heart. Although he started his career as a French teacher, having studied philosophy and psychology at Cairo University, according to his brother Yaqoub — a children's writer credited with being the first to introduce the social novel to children's literature — Youssef rebelled against the staid conventions of teaching due to his commitment to social transformation, which along with the love of literature he instilled in his brother. “He used to give me Naguib Mahfouz stories when I was a primary school student and he was in his last year in college. I remember when he told me Mahfouz was the greatest Arabic novelist who might be awarded the Nobel Prize”, Yaqoub says. On the other hand, he adds, critics compare Youssef's stories to music. “Youssef had an early musical education and was a member of the Gramophone Association at university.” Yaqoub remembers when it was Youssef's turn to host the group and he — Yaqoub — got to experience symphonic harmony for the first time. “Music gave Youssef his new style and the harmony in his stories.” In 1942, after a lecture in which “dangerous things” were said, Youssef and his colleagues were arrested on charges of overthrowing the regime; he was jailed until the court exonerated him a few months later and returned to a hero's welcome, already “a leader in politics”: “In prison he read many books, listened to many talks and thought a lot about the meaning of freedom, justice and resistance”, themes that were to manifest in the unequivocally feminist bent of Al-Sharouni's second collection of short stories, Message to a Woman. Obituary: Youssef Al-Sharouni (1924-2017)A rebellious gift According to Ahmed Abdel-Razeq Abul-Ela, although he preferred to call his criticism simply “readings”, Al-Sharouni — who mastered English and French as well as Arabic — was as much a critic as a writer. “His 1977 book, One Theory, Two Applications, is an important contribution to the field of applied criticism and to knowledge of the short story derived from both Arab and foreign heritage,” Abul-Ela wrote in Al-Qahira newspaper. According to Mohamed Gibreel, “He was able to read whatever he found. He read history, politics, geography, religion, philosophy, language, religious jurisdiction, then he would write notes in the margins expressing his acceptance or rejection of what was being said.” Al-Sharouni is survived by a daughter, Shaden and a son, Sherif. Shaden (a carefully chosen Arabic word meaning “young deer”) says her father was a workaholic and a serious man. Fearing illness, he took care of his health, reflecting the thoughts of one of his fictional characters: “I am afraid, therefore I do exist… My fear protects me”. His day had structure: he read the newspapers after breakfast at 9am, then went to the press to correct his book proofs, returned at 2:30pm for lunch, watched the news on TV at 3:30pm and napped for an hour and a half, after which he would work till he went to bed at 11 pm; on Mondays he visited the Story Club, of which he was chairman for five years, 2001-2006. “He used to write draft after draft of his stories, rewriting again and again till he felt satisfied.” He was also a major influence in her children's upbringing, teaching them reading and research. “My daughter now works in the presidential council for developing education,” Shaden Al-Sharouni said proudly. In his last days, she added, he felt the cultural atmosphere in Egypt was deteriorating; neither young people nor critics were reading. Al-Sharouni wrote eight collections of short stories, one novel and 20 books of criticism; he won the State Incentive and State Merit awards as well as the Sultan Al-Uwais Prize. Al-Sharouni's funeral was held at the Qasr Al-Doubarah Church in Cairo.