Yusuf Idris was one of Egypt’s best-known playwrights, and author of short stories and novels. He was born in Faqous in 1927 and originally trained to be a doctor, studying at the University of Cairo. He began his literary career as a journalist and continued writing a newspaper column in Al-Ahram until his latest illness. He wrote realistic stories about ordinary and poor people. Many of his works are in the Egyptian vernacular, and he was considered a master of the short story. Idris sought to put the foundations of a modern Egyptian theater based on popular traditions and folklore. Idris wrote 9 plays and 11 collections of short stories, which were translated into 24 languages. His most famous short story collection is “Cheapest Nights.” His novels included “Al-Haram” (“The Forbidden”). It is known that he was nominated several times to win the Nobel prize for literature. He died in London in 1991.