Taha Hussein led a controversial and inspiring life, battling to advance enlightenment, women's emancipation and rationalism. With his 1926 publication on pre-Islamic poetry, Hussein found himself on the front line and the front pages of newspapers, as his views had became highly divisive in political and literary circles. He defended himself by citing 17th century French philosopher René Descartes, pointing out how his thought had revived philosophy and science and changed the outlook of literati, intellectuals and artists in the West, claiming it could work in the East also. Hussein was one of the most influential 20th century Egyptian writers and intellectuals, whose sobriquet was the 'Doyen of Arabic Literature'. He was born in 1889 in a village in Minya Governorate in Middle Egypt, where he went to a kottab (Islamic school) and subsequently was admitted to Al-Azhar University in Cairo, where he studied religion and Arabic literature. Hussein was the seventh of thirteen children, born into a lower-middle class family and became blind at the age of three, the result of flawed treatment by an unskilled local practitioner, which condition caused him a great deal of anguish throughout his entire life. Despite his blindness he was awarded a scholarship to attend the University of Montpellier, where he met and married (in 1917) his French wife Suzanne Bresseau, who had read to him while he was trying to improve his grasp of French. She had a great impact on his life and became his wife, best friend and the mother of his two children Amina and Moe'nes. After Hussein obtained his MA from the University of Montpellier, in 1917, he continued his studies at the Sorbonne and received a PhD at the Sorbonne. He was the first Egyptian and member of a mission to receive an MA and a PhD from France. In 1919, Hussein returned to Egypt with Suzanne and was appointed professor of history at Cairo University. His application of modern critical methods in his 1926 book 'On Pre-Islamic Poetry' embroiled him in fierce polemics. In this book he contended that a great deal of the poetry reputed to be pre-Islamic had been fabricated by Muslims of a later date for various reasons. He was tried for apostasy but not convicted. In a later book 'The Future of Culture in Egypt' (1938), he expounded his belief that Egypt belongs by heritage to the same wider Mediterranean civilisation that embraces Greece, Italy, and France and advocated the assimilation of modern European culture. Serving as minister of education from 1950 to 1952 in the last government formed by the Wafd party before the overthrow of the monarchy, Hussein vastly extended state education and abolished school fees. He put into action his motto, 'Education is as water and air, the right of every human being'. Outside Egypt he became known through his three-volume autobiography, Al-Ayyam (The Days), published over the span of years from 1929 to 1967, one of the first modern Arab literary works to be acclaimed in the West. Volume one appeared in 1929 (English translation An Egyptian Childhood) and the second in 1932 The Stream of Days. At the age of 78 he published a book of memoirs, Muthazirat ( A Passage to Francein English), regarded as the third volume of Al-Ayyam. In 1997, the three parts were published together in English translation as The Days. Hussein held the position of editor-in-chief of a number of newspapers and wrote innumerable articles. He was also a member of several scientific academies in Egypt and around the world. Simplicity and beauty are embodied in his museum, where students can inhale the works he left there in his place and eagerly learn about this blind visionary. Zeinab Manhi, the director of the museum and a fine arts practitioner, said that Taha Hussein came to this house in Giza in 1959 from his previous Zamalek home which he left because he found it too noisy. As his wife was French, the furniture in the house and interior design are characterised by a French touch. The white wall of the reception room is adorned with a piece of the Kaaba keswa, with which he was presented on a visit to Saudi Arabia in 1954, in appreciation of his contribution to Arabic culture. It contains also a bronze bust of Taha Hussein by Abdel-Qader Rizq. The spacious living room contains two salons (one used by Hussein for his Sunday Salons with literati and intellectuals), a piano and an elegant dining table and chairs. The walls are a feast of colour; painted in yellow, then a deeper shade of yellow, blue and dark blue. The first salon is a gleaming crimson, the second is slate blue. The room most important for Hussein was his library, which contains around 7,000 book in different fields and in many languages, including his 54 works. The contents can be digitally accessed by the visitor via a computer in the museum. The upper storey has a simple living room, used by Hussein in his final days, which contains a fireplace to warm the room. There is a bust of his daughter Amina and a multilingual human rights award he was presented with in 1973, the year of his death. In his bedroom with its beautiful dark green walls is a charcoal drawing of his son Moe'nes by artist Abdel-Qader Rizq. The stylish simplicity of the house is exemplified in Suzanne's bedroom with its delicate pink walls. Both bedrooms have built-in wardrobes. As well as a portrait of Suzanna in her bedroom by Ahmed Sabri, there is a small etching of a painting of the Virgin by Botticelli, which was given to her by Hussein in Montpellier, in 1915, before their marriage. They enjoyed listening to music by Johann Sebastian Bach, Verdi, Chopin and others in the music room. Its walls are adorned with paintings by well-known contemporary Egyptian artists. The museum includes vitrines to show his belongings, such as his famous glasses, cigarette box, wallets and even razors, as well as his numerous medals and decorations. The Taha Hussein Museum, is located at 11 Taha Hussein Street, off Haram Sreet, Giza. (Look out for La Poire patisserie on its corner.) It opens daily (except Fridays and Mondays) from 10am to 2pm Tickets are available at the entrance.
