Якуб Сану: Египетский журналист и драматург "Абу Наддара"

Egyptian Jewish journalist (1839–1912)

Yaqub Sanu (يعقوب صنوع, , anglicized as James Sanua), also known by his pen name "Abu Naddara" (أبو نظارة Abū Naẓẓārah "the man with glasses"; January 9, 1839 – 1912), was an Egyptian Jewish journalist, nationalist activist and playwright. He was also a polyglot, writing in French, English, Turkish, Persian, Hebrew, and Italian as well as both Standard Arabic and Egyptian Arabic.

Sanu was born to an Egyptian Jewish family. His father worked for Prince Yaken, the grandson of Muhammad Ali Pasha, Khedive of Egypt and Sudan. When Yaqub was thirteen, he wrote an Arabic poem and recited it in front of the prince, who was fascinated by the young boy's talents. The prince later sent him to be educated in Livorno, Italy in 1853, where he studied Arts and Literature. When he returned to Egypt in 1855, he worked as a tutor for the prince's children before he became a teacher in the Arts and Crafts School in Cairo.

Sanua became active as a journalist in Egypt, writing in a number of languages, including Arabic and French. He played an important role in the development of Egyptian theatre in the 1870s, both as a writer of original plays in Arabic and with his adaptations of French plays. However, it was as a satirical nationalist journalist that he became famous in his day, becoming a thorn in the side of both the Khedive and the British colonists. In 1870, the Khedive, Ismail Pasha, financially supported Sanu's theatre company and proclaimed him "Molière of Egypt." His plays often featured very colloquial Egyptian Arabic and nationalist themes.