[1][2] His father, el-Hajj Muhammad ed-Du'aji who was a wealthy merchant and landowner, died when Douagi was four years old; he bequeathed to his wife and children a sizeable trust fund from which the family was able to live comfortably.

When he made the acquaintance of Ali el-Jandubi, a prominent literary scholar, he discovered the medieval and modern Arabic history, literature and cultural studies.

[3] When the colonial governments eased upon censorship in journalism in 1936, Douagi started up his own periodical, "es-Surur", though it only lasted a mere six weeks due to his lack of discipline.

[3] His Turkish roots and his mastery of the French language, as well as his bourgeois background and financial security, all played a part in crafting a vision of himself and his work.

[5] the personal and professional relationship between them was one that embraced a vast spectrum of contemporary politics, arts, and ideological currents that electrified the cultural scene in Tunisia during the 1930s.

[7] However, on the tenth anniversary of his death, Zin el-Abidin es-Sanusi published an article entitle "Ed-Du’aji’s Legacy" which resurrected critical inquiry and public interest in his work.