The impact of the wars of June 1967 and October 1973 on the arts and literature in Egypt

Abstract

The research dealt with the impact of the October 1973 war on the arts and literature. The research discussed some of the cultural assumptions that prevailed in the Egyptian street before the 1967 war, which was complete disdain for the enemy. The Egyptian media played a role in portraying the “Israelis” as cowardly people who care only about acquiring coins and who suffer from suffocation. In their voices, the matter escalated until it reached the scientific corridors, where it was not acceptable to present any serious study on the true conditions of the enemy, and the only acceptable thing was to present studies and analyzes that confirmed the collapse of the enemy from within and that its fate was to disappear, whether by self-decomposition or by throwing it into the sea when it was ready. The 1967 war produced a new product from songs, films, and plays that embody the reality of defeat and its pain, which was evident in a group of artistic works that expressed reality, pain, and hope. Many songs were also produced that express the reality of setback, rejection of defeat, and hope for victory, and are filled with the nature of sadness filled with pity that is protected by pride from indulging in ruminations on defeat. Then came the war of attrition, in which the national song played a wonderful role in inciting enthusiasm and focusing on the tomorrow that would bring victory.

The research dealt with the various arts dealing with these events. At the level of the novel, the research discussed the novels of Youssef Al-Qaid as an embodiment of the state of society’s thought at that time, especially since those novels reflected his personal experience during the period of his recruitment and his departure from the village of Al-Dhahriya, the center of Itay Al-Baroud, and to face the world of the city as a conscript in the ranks of the armed forces, and the formation of his awareness International and local narratives, and on the cinematic level, egyptian cinema was filled with several films after 1967, none of which dealt with the reality of the setback at all, and under the leadership of Abdel Nasser, the strength of the nationalist spirit, and the historical ability of egyptians to comprehend and absorb defeat. perhaps this was part of the call launched by the New cinema group, which sought to trace the state of egyptian society. As for poetry, the shock of the setback was painful on the poets who represented the conscience of the nation, but they hoped for their positions in their poetry that would inflame the enthusiasm of the masses, and thus the rest of the arts dealt with these events.