Elia Abu Madi (1889-1957) was a Lebanese Arab poet who is considered one of the most important poets of the diaspora in the early twentieth century, and one of the founders of the Pen League. He grew up in a modest family, so he was only able to receive basic elementary education in his village; he enrolled at the Al-Muhaydathah School, located next to the church. When poverty intensified in Lebanon, Elia traveled to Egypt in 1902 to engage in trade with his uncle, who was a tobacco merchant. There, he met Antoun Gemayel, who had established the magazine “Al-Zohour” with Amin Takieddine. Gemayel was greatly impressed by his intelligence and self-reliance, and invited him to write for the magazine. He published his first poems in the magazine, and his works continued to be published until he collected his early poetry in a collection entitled “Remembrance of the Past,” which was published in 1911 by the Egyptian Press. Abu Madi was twenty-two years old at the time.

Abu Madi turned to composing poetry on national and political themes, but was not spared the persecution of the authorities, and was forced to immigrate to the United States in 1912, where he settled first in Cincinnati, Ohio, where he stayed for four years, working in trade with his older brother Murad. He then moved to New York and in Brooklyn, where he participated in the founding of the Pen League in the United States of America with Gibran Khalil Gibran and Mikhail Naimy.

He published Al-Sameer magazine in 1929, which is considered a primary source for Elia Abu Madi's literature. It is also a major source for expatriate literature, as most expatriate writers, particularly those from the northern diaspora, published much of their literary output, both poetry and prose. It continued to be published until the poet's death in 1957.

Elia is one of the expatriate poets who devoted himself to literature and journalism. He is famous for his philosophy, which is dominated by optimism, love of life, and longing for his homeland. A humanitarian approach is prominent in all of his poetry, especially the poetry he wrote during the Pen League, in which he was influenced by Gibran's school.