Mahmud Sadani

Mahmoud El-Saadany, also transliterated as Mahmud Al-Saadani or al or el Saadani or Sa'dani (20 November 1927 – 4 May 2010) was an Egyptian satirical writer and journalist. He is considered one of the pioneers of satirical writing in the Arab press. He participated in editing and founding a large number of Arab newspapers and magazines in Egypt and abroad. He headed the editorship of Sabah Al-Khair, an Egyptian magazine in the sixties. As a Nassirist, he also participated in political life during the reign of President Gamal Abdel Nasser, and was imprisoned during the reign of Anwar Sadat after he was convicted of participating in a coup attempt.

El-Saadany issued and headed the editorship of the July 23 magazine in his exile in London. He returned to Egypt from his self-imposed exile in 1982 after the assassination of Sadat and was received by President Mubarak. He had relations with a number of Arab rulers such as Muammar Gaddafi and Saddam Hussein. He retired from journalism and public life in 2006 due to illness, and died in Giza on 4 May 2010, at the age of 81.