Saadi Youssef (Arabic: سعدي يوسف) (1934 – 13 June 2021)[1] was an Iraqi author, poet, journalist, publisher, and political activist.

[2] He was influenced by the free verse of Shathel Taqa and Abd al-Wahhab Al-Bayyati and was also involved in politics from an early age.

He has also translated many well-known writers into Arabic, including Oktay Rifat, Melih Cevdet Anday, Garcia Lorca, Yiannis Ritsos, Walt Whitman and Constantine Cavafy.

Following his exile from Iraq, Youssef has lived in many countries, including Algeria, Lebanon, France, Greece, Cyprus, and resided in London until his death.

In 2007, Youssef participated in the PEN World Voices festival where he was interviewed by the Wild River Review.