Through three profound long poems, the anthology delves into the complexities of the human experience, intertwining themes of language, love, race, faith, and war. Adonis draws inspiration from iconic poets, reinterpreting their works while reflecting on Arab defeat and the socio-political landscape of Vietnam-era America. This bilingual edition presents the original Arabic alongside English translations, complemented by an afterword and a critical bibliography. A foreword by Nasser Rabbat enhances its significance for students and scholars of modern and Middle Eastern poetry.
Victims of a Map presents fifteen translated poems by each poet. It includes
thirteen poems by Darwish never before published in book form, even in Arabic,
and a long work by Adonis written during the 1982 siege of Beirut, also
published here for the first time.
Heralded as the greatest living Arab poet, Syrian-born Adonis is also a staunch critic of violence and despotism in the Islamic world. In this book Adonis explores the nature of political power in Islam by focusing on the figure of the prophet Mohammed as both a political and a mythical leader. In conversation with Houria Abdelouahed, he examines the Qu’ranic intervention in establishing the prophet’s power, especially when the text is read based on faith and not reason. The authors discuss the historical developments before and after the prophet’s death which established the power of the Caliph or the leader as absolute. The second part of the book examines the consequences of these developments in the Arab and Islamic world today, where this ‘tyrannical’ understanding of power continues to hold sway. In chapters on women, the notion of love and the relationship between East and West, they examine the ways in which this notion of power operates in the Arab and Islamic world as well as how it continues to inform the Muslim world’s relationship to and interaction with others. The authors conclude with a call for secularism in the Arab world and a passionate plea for the separation of religion from the political, legal and social spheres. Building on the earlier volume Violence and Islam, this new book by one of the greatest literary figures in the world today will be of interest to a wide general readership.
Born in Syria in 1930, Adonis is one of the most celebrated poets of the
Arabic-speaking world. His poems have earned international acclaim, and his
influence on Arabic literature has been likened to that of T S Eliot's on
English-language verse. This title presents a comprehensive survey of Adonis'
work.
One of the greatest living Arab poets offers a radical exploration of the
commonalities between two seemingly disparate traditions, Sufism and
Surrealism. Similarities and intersections are discovered in the writings of
leading figures such as Rimbaud, Breton, ibn 'Arabi and al-Niffari.
Poetry is the quintessence of Arab culture. In this book, Adonis reinterprets
a rich and ancient heritage. He examines the oral tradition of the pre-Islamic
poetry of Arabia and the relationship between Arabic poetry and the Qur'an,
and between poetry and thought. schovat popis
"Written in the cosmopolitan Beirut of the early 1960s, Adonis's Songs of Mihyar the Damascene did for Arabic poetry what The Waste Land did for English. These are poems against authoritarianism and dogma, in which a new Noah would abandon his ark to dive with the condemned, and in which surrealism and Sufi mysticism meet and intertwine. The result is a masterpiece of world literature."--Back cover.
Set against the backdrop of the French Pyrenees, this work features a rich dialogue between Adonis, a prominent Arab poet, and Pierre Joris, a nomadic poet. Their discussions explore the impact of monotheism on history and gender, alongside reflections on poetics and spirituality in contemporary writing. Taking place during the "Les Porteurs de Mots" cultural festival, the conversations are complemented by various artistic performances, enriching the exploration of their themes.
All Faces but Mine gathers selected poems from the acclaimed Palestinian poet Samih Al-Qasim (1934–2014). A contemporary of Mahmoud Darwish, Al-Qasim was a celebrated resistance poet whose passionate call for independence inspired a generation of poets. In this award-winning volume, poems are drawn from fourteen of the poet’s collections published over the last twenty years in addition to some of his final works. Lu’lu’a’s fluid translation captures both Al-Qasim’s innovative style and the emotional tenor of his poetry.
