Hamad al-Hajji
Hamad al-Hajji (Arabic: حمد الحجي, romanized: Ḥamad al-Ḥajjī; 1939 – 8 November 1988) was a Saudi Arabian poet. He was born in Marat, a small town south of Shaqra, in the Al-Washm Region. His mother died when he was less than ten years old, and was raised in poverty by his sister Hayla and her husband. After obtaining a primary certificate in his hometown, he moved to the Saudi capital, Riyadh, in 1951. There, he studied at the College of Sharia and the College of Arabic Language, and took first exams in both colleges. Before his planned graduation in 1961, he developed a mental illness, and was diagnosed with severe schizophrenia. He was treated in Saudi hospitals, as well as in Kuwait, Iran, Lebanon, Egypt and the United Kingdom, but there were only slight improvements to his condition. He died at the age of 49 after a lung disease.
Hamad al-Hajji | |
|---|---|
| Native name | حمد الحجّي |
| Born | 1939 Marat, Al-Washm Region, Saudi Arabia |
| Died | 8 November 1988 (aged 49) Taif, Mecca Province, Saudi Arabia |
| Occupation | Poet |
| Language | Arabic |
| Alma mater | College of Sharia Sciences |
| Notable works | The Torment of the Years |
Al-Hajji was known for his poetic love for his homeland and literary expressions of pessimism and darkness. A collection of his poetry, (anthology) titled The Torment of the Years (Arabic: عذاب السنين, romanized: ʿaḏāb as-sinīn), was published the year after his death, compiled by Muhammad bin Ahmed Al-Shadi, the editor-in-chief of Al Yamamah magazine. These poems represent the bulk of his works before his illness.