Badī‘ Khayrī

Biography

The State Information Service describes schooling in al-Maghriblin and work teaching geography and English.

It names Ibn al-Nil as his pen name and lists publication in al-Afkar, al-Muayyad, al-Watan and Misr. Its silent and sound film credits include al-Manduban, al-Azima and Intisar al-shabab. Early dates require checking, particularly its 1905 graduation claim. Mustafa Muharram reports Khayri’s memoir dating his meeting with al-Rihani to 18 August 1918. He describes an amateur Egyptian Acting Club presenting Amma Hitta Warta at the Egyptiana theatre. In this account, Khayri concealed his authorship to protect his teaching job, while George Shiftishi offered his writing to al-Rihani under his own name. This is later memoir reporting, rather than a contemporary contract. Al-Rihani’s memoir describes Khayri acknowledging authorship of al-Fayizgiyya, then supplying verses for visitors to Kishkish Bey and entering a working agreement. It also credits him with the water-carriers’ zajal in Walo, distinguishing the workers’ complaint in his words from Sayyid Darwish’s music. The example documents the division of writing, composition and performance through one participant’s testimony.