People from Syria sometimes say that Syria – in some way – is “a nation of poets”. What they want to express is that despite of the country’s long-running civil war, poetry remains important. This series of essays on authors, bothl (2013) living in Syria or abroad, as expatriates or as Syrians in the second generation shows their concern in a variety of voices and forms. The choice of authors does not claim to be representative nor is the length of the posts indicative of the importance of the authors featured. Each post tries to explain some aspects of the poems: what had inspired them, what they meant to the author, or simply thoughts that I would like to share with an broader audience.
This entry is part 1 of 8 in the series Syria Through the Work of PoetsPoetry has always been central to Syria, Ghada Alatrash, Syrian-Canadian poet and translator said: Schoolchildren recite epics, pop stars set poetry to music, and...
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This entry is part 2 of 8 in the series Syria Through the Work of PoetsMohja Kahf is a Syrian-American poet, academic and cultural critic. She has been writing poetry since the 1990s taking up a variety of topics....
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This entry is part 3 of 8 in the series Syria Through the Work of Poets “Through my translation, I am attempting to build bridges between East and to fill in the gap of the almost total absence of...
Read MoreThis entry is part 4 of 8 in the series Syria Through the Work of Poets Najat Abdul Samad is from Sweida about an hour’s drive from the country’s southern border with Jordan. She worked there (2013) as an obstetrician and gynecologist. On the subjects of her literary work she said: I write about the insistence of evil men to wage wars and the persistence of women to not surrender to the coming destruction. I write about women’s instinct...
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This entry is part 5 of 8 in the series Syria Through the Work of PoetsThe Syrian Revolution and civil war have generated explicit and sometimes graphic accounts of political conflict and bloodshed. But Syria’s poets are not only...
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