The Board of Directors of the General Union of Egyptian Writers, the Supreme Council of Culture, and the Arab Theater Authority lamented today, Sunday, the passing of playwright Mohamed Abu Al-Ala Al-Salamoni at the age of 82. The Ministry of Culture stated in a press release that the late playwright "enriched theatrical life with over 40 timeless plays throughout his long career, which he continued to contribute to until the last moments of his life, leaving behind a lasting theatrical and literary legacy."
Al-Salamoni was born in the Damietta Governorate in northern Egypt in 1941 and graduated from the Teachers' Institute in 1959 before completing his education and earning a Bachelor's degree in Arts from Cairo University in 1968. He worked in teaching before becoming the director of the national theatrical troupes, and then the general director of theater at the General Authority for Cultural Palaces. He was the editor-in-chief of the "Theatrical Texts" series published by the General Egyptian Book Organization and was a member of the permanent committee for theater at the Supreme Council of Culture.
Among his most notable works are the plays "A Man in the Castle," "Revenge and the Journey of Torment," "Four Mils," "The Lady of Beauty," and "The Guardian and the Protected." He also wrote television series including "The Bitter Lakes," "Love in the Age of Drought," "The Story of a City," and "Eagle of the East," and penned scripts and dialogues for several other series. He received the State Encouragement Award in Literature for his play in 1984, as well as the State Medal in Arts and Sciences, First Class, in 1986 and the State Appreciation Award in Literature in 2018.
