I Am Leaving by Youssef El-Sebai
1. Basic Information
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Author: Youssef El-Sebai (Egyptian novelist and thinker, often called the Knight of Romance).
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First Published: 1950
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Language: Arabic (written in Modern Standard Arabic)
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Length: 294 pages (first edition, 1950)
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Genre: Romantic social novel exploring the conflict between love and rigid social conventions.
2. Main Characters
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Aida: The protagonist and narrator of the story. A young woman from a wealthy family, forced into a marriage she does not want due to family and social pressure. She narrates the events in the first person, making her inner turmoil palpable.
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Ahmed: Aida’s beloved and cousin, a hardworking young man from a modest background. After being rejected by Aida’s family, he marries a neighbor’s daughter.
3. Plot Overview
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Love and Opposition: The novel centers on the love between Aida and Ahmed, a relationship rejected by Aida’s father because of class and financial differences. Aida comes from privilege, while Ahmed is just starting his career.
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Forced Marriage: Aida is coerced into marrying a wealthy aristocrat (nicknamed “Toto” in some versions), in compliance with her father’s wishes. In despair, Ahmed weds the girl next door.
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Betrayal and Escape: Aida later discovers her husband’s infidelity with a married woman, leaving her devastated. Unable to endure, she flees her marital home.
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Reunion and Tragedy: She reunites with Ahmed, whose wife has died in childbirth. The two lovers retreat to Alexandria, where they live briefly in happiness, free from society’s restrictions. Their joy is cut short when Ahmed suddenly falls ill (appendicitis, according to some sources) and dies. Overcome with grief, Aida writes their love story, then sets the house ablaze while cradling Ahmed’s body, choosing to die with him.
4. Artistic Features and Style
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First-Person Narrative: By telling the story through Aida’s own voice, El-Sebai creates an intimate connection that allows readers to feel her anguish directly.
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Emotional Intensity: The author employs a deeply sentimental style that evokes empathy and sorrow for the heroine’s suffering.
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Symbolism: The title I Am Leaving carries poetic weight, signifying both escape from societal chains and the ultimate departure—death.
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Social Critique: The novel denounces oppressive traditions, particularly arranged marriages imposed by patriarchal authority, and exposes the psychological devastation they cause.
5. Context and Legacy
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Social Message: El-Sebai sought to highlight the destructive effects of unjust customs that deny individuals the right to choose their partners, showing how such practices can ruin lives.
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Impact: The novel was a major success and remains one of El-Sebai’s most celebrated works. It was adapted into a popular television series in the mid-1970s starring Mahmoud Morsi and Zahret El-Ola, and it helped cement the tragic romance as a lasting theme in modern Arabic literature.
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Dedication: The author dedicated the novel to “The dearest who was faithful, and the most faithful who was dear… to the first beloved: Umm Besa and Ismail.”
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Writing Anecdote: El-Sebai reportedly wrote the novel in just twenty days during the summer of 1949. Though initially dissatisfied with it, he went on to publish it—only to see it become a great success.
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