Mahmoud Salem

Early life and education

Salem was born in Alexandria in 1931 as a son of a naval officer. He was raised in different cities in Egypt.

He first attended a military college, but left it due to his membership to a leftist group during the late 1940s. Then he joined Cairo University's faculty of law. However, he again left his studies.

Career and activities

After leaving his studies at the faculty of law, Salem began to work as a journalist. During the 1950s, he worked for the state-run daily Al Gomhuria, firstly as military reporter during the Suez war and then, as head of the crime section. During the 1960s he worked for the Radio and Television Magazine and then, for the children’s magazine Samir where he began to write detective and mystery fiction. He fled the country and lived in Lebanon when he was forced to exile due to his support for the Nasserist views in the 1970s. Until his last days, he published weekly political articles in the newspaper, Al Tahrir. One of his latest articles published on 22 February 2013 involved criticisms against the Muslim Brotherhood.

Works

Salem was the author of many well-known books in Arabic, targeting children and adolescents. Total number of his books is nearly 300. One of his books is the 13 Devils written by him while he was in exile in Lebanon. It was series of mystery novels, in which 13 characters from different Arab countries deal with plots of foreign intelligence service. In 2007, one of his stories was filmed. The Five Adventurers, a mystery series, is about the adventures of five children.

Death

Salem died in Cairo at the age of 82 on 24 February 2013.