L'Arabo Anziano (The old Arab). A Forgotten Book by Yaʿqūb Ṣanūʿ

LANGONE, ANGELA

2017-01-01

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Abstract

L’arabo anziano is a poem published in Cairo in 1869 and authored by Yaʿqūb Ṣanūʿ (1839 – 1912), an Egyptian Jew of Italian origins who is considered as one of the pioneers of the Arab theatre and one of the first Egyptian nationalists. The poem is a precious testimony for the time Ṣanūʿ spent in Livorno, Italy, and reflects his links with Freemasonry. This article intends to focus on the role of this poem for a comprehension of the rise of nationalism in Yaʿqūb Ṣanūʿ’s ideals and tries to shed light on his Italian experience through new unpublished documents found in the Historical Archives of the Jewish community of Livorno