Rafik Boumaza

Rafik Boumaza (28 August 1922 - 6 June 1994) was an Egyptian-born Brunanter poet and essayist. He is considered one of the greatest poets of the 20th century and a leading figure within Arab literature in Brunant.

Biography
Born in 1922 in Cairo, Egypt, Boumaza studied Arabic literature at the Cairo University. After working for an Egyptian newspaper at the end of the Second World War, he moved to Koningstad, Brunant in 1947.

In Koningstad, Boumaza first met German-born writer Herman Waldman at the Cafe Simona in 1948. The two befriended and shared their passion for surrealist literature and free verses poetry. Waldman later introduced Boumaza to other similar forward-thinking filmmakers, painters and writers known as "The Exiles". He spent much of his time at 7 Queen Street, the house of Adolphe and Éliane Laurent that was the center of the artistic scene of the 1950s. He was a good friend of their son Jack, who was a renowned poet as well and took over some of Boumaza's literary influences.

With his 1950s poetry, Boumaza played an important role within the notable switch from realist literature to a more conceptual and rather free approach. Boumaza, who fluently spoke English, published his work in both Arabic and English, gaining recognition from Brunant's Muslim population and the deeply-established literary authors and critics.

By 1962, the Laurents stopped hosting artistic salons and Boumaza was forced to live on his own, since he had lived at their place since 1950. He married in 1964, had two children and published poetry works until his death in 1994. Some of his works were awarded with literary prizes and his legacy is cited as important by literary critics many times. Boumaza was also a leading figure within the Association of Islamic Communities, often organizing cultural events.