Egyptian poet and essayist Gamila El Alaily is the subject of today's Google Doodle, which celebrates what would have been El Alaily's 112th birthday.
Born in 1907 in Mansoura, Dakahlia, El Alaily moved to Cairo as a young woman and began contributing poems to the well-respected literary journal Apollo. She later became the only female member of the Apollo Society, a group of modernist writers and artists based in Cairo, and is considered a key figure in Egypt's modern art renaissance.
In 1936, El Alaily published The Echo of My Dreams, the first of three volumes of poetry. She also wrote a regular column for 25 years, in which she ruminated on everything from philosophy and ethics to the role of women in society. She is said to have been inspired by Lebanese-Palestinian poet May Ziade (1886-1941).
In a short note about today’s Doodle, Google wrote: “In this respect, as well as her prolific poetic output, she broke new ground for women in the Arab world, inspiring generations of writers to come.”
El Alaily's poems are widely available in Arabic, however not many translations are on offer. The National has translated an excerpt from one of her 1976 works from her collection The Echo Of My Faith to give readers a sense of her style:
A Strange Heart
O God, my heart is dreadful. How can I revive it?
Who can lull and calm down my heart?
The sound of arrogance is deafening my ear today,
I would have talked to it had I not had self-praise.
Strange my heart has become when in love.
Pure love it is, anyone to perceive?
I have become flabbergast at my ordeal,
I conceal none of my love fears.
I ask God to inspire me.
Do I have a living heart or should I lament its death?
El Alaily died on April 11 1991.
This Google Doodle is only being shown to users in Morocco, Algeria, Libya, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, the UAE and Oman.
In this story, we discuss how doodles showcasing the Western world are often shown across the entire globe, whereas those from the Middle East are only shown to those of us in the region.
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Arab World's Google Doodles
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A Google Doodle celebrating Egyptian actress Karima Mokhtar's 89th birthday. All images: Google -
Egyptian writer Ihsan Abdel Quddous -
Kuwaiti actor and comedian Abdulhussain Abdulredha's 83rd birthday -
UAE National Day 2022 Google Doodle. -
Ousha Al Suwaidi was a poetess from the United Arab Emirates. -
Prof. Hamed Abdel Fattah Goher was an Egyptian oceanographer, scientist and TV presenter. -
Tunisia's Tawhida Ben Cheikh was a pioneer in women's medicine. -
Google Doodle of Egyptian actor and director Nour El-Sherif honours him on what would have been his 75th birthday. -
Google celebrates Syrian-Egyptian composer and actor Farid Al Atrash with a Google Doodle to mark what would have been his 110th birthday. -
Children's author Notaila Rashed is honoured with a special Google Doodle to mark her 86th birthday. -
Egyptian actress, producer, writer and filmmaker Bahiga Hafez was born 112 years ago, on August 4. -
The Google Doodle for January 20, 2020, celebrates Mufidah Abdul Rahman, Egypt's first female lawyer. -
A Google Doodle on June 10, 2019, celebrates Egyptian author Ahmed Khaled Towfik. -
Google Doodle honours Persian mathematician, poet and astronomer Omar Khayyam on what would have been his 971st birthday. -
Mary Mounib was a renowned actress in the Egyptian cinema scene. Her 114th birthday is marked in a Google Doodle on February 11, 2019. -
Egyptian poet Gamila El Alaily is honoured in a Google Doodle on March 20, 2019. -
Syrian artist Louay Kayali is the subject of Google's doodle on January 20, 2019. -
Egyptian-French singer and actress Dalida is honoured on her birthday by Google Doodle, on January 17, 2019. -
Egyptian actress Hind Rostom is celebrated in a Google Doodle on her 87th birthday, on November 12, 2018. -
Ibn Sina, one of the greatest thinkers of Islam's golden age, is honoured on August 7, 2018. -
A Google Doodle honours Saudi musician Talal Maddah on what would have been his 78th birthday, on August 5, 2018. -
A Google Doodle gif marks Egyptian actor Omar Sharif's birthday on April 10, 2018. -
Egyptian poet Farouk Shousha is honoured by Google on what would have been his 82nd birthday, on January 9, 2018. -
Google celebrates Lebanese singer Sabah's 90th birthday on November 10, 2017. -
Egyptian painter Inji Aflatoun's Google Doodle pays homage to her style of bold brushstrokes. -
Google celebrates the birthday of Algerian painter Mohammed Khadda, who was born on March 14, 1930. -
Lebanese singer-songwriter Melham Barakat is honoured by Google on his birthday.
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Two Doodles in particular illustrate this disparity with perfect asymmetry. On July 24, 2012, the entire world, including the UAE, was invited to celebrate the 115th birthday of American aviation pioneer Amelia Earhart, who disappeared flying over the Pacific in 1937. On October 29, 2014, only Mena countries received the Doodle marking the 107th birthday of Lotfia El Nadi, the Arab world’s first female pilot, campaigner for women’s equality and the first woman after Earhart to fly solo.
