We meet many people in a lifetime, but rarely are we compelled to write a tribute to them. I knew him as a colleague, and first met him in 2000 when I was a page lay-out trainee at Al-Ahram Weekly under the supervision of Samir Sobhy, who himself says that he still feels as if Dr Rizq is still with us. The first page I produced on the newspaper was his A Diwan of Contemporary Life.
Yunan Labib Rizq served two masters—Egypt and history—and he was faithful to both. Whenever Dr Rizq spoke about history, his words were backed by manuscripts and certificates. He always said he presented history truthfully, supported by documents and analysis without the addition of personal opinions or private interference.
Dr Rizq was very unassuming, and he made others feel at their ease in his presence. His voice was calm, his personality also. He published a series of 16 books under the same title as his articles; the introduction to his A Diwan of Contemporary Life was attributed to ‘the writer of the diwan’, and he neither mentioned his name nor put down any of his other titles or achievements with the result that his name only appeared on the cover. His accuracy and documentation was respected by all, as was Dr Rizq himself. Knowing him was both a pleasure and a privilege.