A more than five-minute conversation on the phone took place between poet Ahmed Fouad Negm and his ex-wife and mother of his daughter, woman of letters Safinaz Kazim.
She tried to persuade him not to leave hospital, but he answered saying: “I can’t stay here. It’s clear to anyone with a good head on their shoulders.” He then added: “My beloved, God bless you. When I need something, you’ll certainly be the first to know.”
Negm was admitted to el-Salam International Hospital at 3 pm last Wednesday and lay for more than 24 hours in the Intensive Care Unit, Room 517. When I asked him: “What happened?” he told me: “I don’t know, actually. I was hanging around in a bar with director Magdy Ahmed Ali and Metawi Barakat.
I went back home and slept. I woke up the next morning and took Zeinab to school and, after sleeping again, I woke up to find myself in the hospital with doctors telling me that I had early symptoms of a stroke.”
He laughs as usual and says: “Yes, a near-stroke, exactly like Toshka.”
He remembers suffering from a stroke five years ago. At the time, he was saved by a Coptic doctor, which led him to call him the “diabolic doctor”, who prompted him to give up smoking.
“Nawwara tells me that many people I don’t know asked after me, 900 of which are from outside Egypt. All I care for is the love of Egyptians, but it’s very good to know that you’re loved outside Egypt, too.”
I asked him: “Do you expect the President to ask after you?” “I do not and if he does, he’d be making a mistake” he answered. “He knows I hate this regime.”
A new phone call annoyed him. “What’s wrong, Ahmed?” “Nothing”, he said. “Nawwara, Safinaz and Zeinab don’t want me to get out and leave this room – 711 – where I’ve been staying since I left the intensive care unit. And yet, I’m fine.”
