Mahmoud Atef

Mahmoud Atef is a poet, arabic calligraphy artist, and independent cultural journalist. He was born in December 1983 in Nagrig village, Basioun province, in the governorate of Gharbiyya.

He loves the singer Amr Diab and fears the sea.

His first collection of poems “Peasant of this Era” was published by Rawafed in August 2014. His second collection of poems “At the Edge of World” won the second award in the literary poetry competition of Cairo’s Literature Journal Akhbar El-Adab in 2016, then published later in 2021 by The Egyptian General Book Organization.

Mahmoud studied the styles of Riq’a, Ottoman Ta’liq, Diwani, and Jali Diwani calligraphy under the guidance of his Moroccan mentor, Hamidi Belaid, from whom he received a traditional certificate (Ijazah) in the art of Arabic calligraphy. He later continued his training in Thuluth and Naskh styles with his master, Abdo El Gammal.

His calligraphy has appeared on book covers and in numerous artistic exhibitions. He also created title sequences for several cinematic and dramatic works, including ‘The Last Days of the City’, ‘Poisonous Roses’, and ‘The Belly of the Whale’.