Leading Arab Poet Reads for LC Archive on Tape
Nizar Qabbani is Known for Romantic, Sophisticated Works
Nizar Qabbani, one of the leading Arab poets, on May 26 recorded some of his poems for LC's Archive of World Literature on Tape.
Mr. Qabbani was born in Damascus, Syria, in 1923 to a prominent family. His father's uncle was Abu Khalil al-Qabbani, who was a gifted 19th century author, composer, actor and poet who translated Moliere into Arabic and established the first theatrical company in Syria. Nizar attended school in Damascus and graduated from its university with a law degree in 1945.
In 1944 the poet published his first collection of poems, Qalat li al-Samra' (The Brunette Said to Me). The collection, full of erotic imagery, became available when such topics were forbidden in Arab society. The publication of this volume established Mr. Qabbani as a "love poet" who addressed social themes.
At age 22, Mr. Qabbani joined the Syrian diplomatic service. He served in Cairo, Ankara, London, Madrid and Beijing. His diplomatic experiences and knowledge of other cultures deepened his feelings about women and sympathy for their deprivations and unequal treatment in the Arab world. From the very beginning, Mr. Qabbani sided with women and held Arab men and society responsible for their woes. To him, the liberation of women meant also the liberation of men.
In successive volumes, Mr. Qabbani attained enormous popularity throughout the entire Arab world. In his romantic poetry he expressed his amorous feelings in sensuous language of great simplicity, elegance and immediate appeal. His enormous collections of poems often ran into several printings.
During the 1950s Mr. Qabbani no longer confined his poetry to his favorite subjects, women and love, but began to write poems of biting criticism, such as "Bread, Hashish and Moon," in which he skewered Arab society for living under the influence of drug-induced daydreams and sensations. Mr. Qabbani's poem "Marginal Notes on The Book of Defeat" written immediately after the 1967 defeat of Egypt in its war with Israel, contained harsh comments on the political, psychological and strategic errors of the Arabs.
Mr. Qabbani's sophisticated language has always featured urban Arabs speaking with the intonations and rhythm of everyday language.
In 1977 Mr. Qabbani participated in a conference held and organized by the Library of Congress on Arab and American cultures.
Mr. Qabbani's poetry has been translated into English, Spanish, Italian, French, German and Russian and other languages. The Library holds most of the works by him and about him.
