About Ahmed Fouad Negm
Ahmad Fo'ad Negm (Arabic: أحمد فؤاد نجم, pronounced [ˈæħmæd foˈʔæːd ˈneɡm]; 22 May 1929 – 3 December 2013), popularly known as El-Fagumi الفاجومي ([elfæˈɡuːmi]), was an Egyptian vernacular poet. Negm is well known for his work with Egyptian composer Sheikh Imam, as well as his patriotic and revolutionary Egyptian Arabic poetry. Negm has been regarded as "a bit of a folk hero in Egypt." == Early life == Ahmed Fouad Negm was born in a small village north of Cairo, Egypt, to a family of fellahin. His mother, Hanem Morsi Negm, was a housewife, and his father Mohammed Ezat Negm, a police officer. Negm was one of seventeen brothers. Like many poets and writers of his generation, he received his education at the religious Kutaab schools managed by El-Azhar. He was six years old when his father died. He went to live with his uncle Hussein in Zagazig, but was placed in an orphanage in 1936 where he first met famous singer Abdel Halim Hafez. In 1945, at the age of 17, he left the orphanage and returned to his village to work as a shepherd. Later, he moved to Cairo to live with his brother who eventually kicked him out only to return to his village again to work in one of the English camps while helping with guerilla operations.
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.