For centuries, spoken Arabic was kept separate from the language of literary expression, with poetry exclusively the domain of the latter. Today, modern Egyptian colloquial poetry is a
robust, sophisticated, and versatile genre, enjoyed by millions. After the eruption of the revolutionary youth movement in Egypt on January 25th, 2011, this genre became one of the vehicles
for revolutionary communications. However, it has long been neglected in the critical space. Here, Noha Radwan offers the first book-length study of the emergence, context, and development of
modern Egyptian colloquial poetry and situates in among modernist Arab poetry.
