Ali Ahmad Said Book order

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.

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.

A cri de c/ur or fully imagined poem on the myth and history of Jerusalem/Al- Quds from the author revered as the greatest living Arabic poet

This autobiography is much more than a life story. Some people in politics, public service or in the world of arts may write their autobiography for personal purposes, so to speak. Some may think that their knowledge of characters in society, politics or business may recast an aura of importance on their own career or position in life. But this autobiography by Sam , Al-Q sim is more of a panorama about the life of the intellectual, living almost like a prisoner in his own homeland, under the occupation of a foreign power, which has, for decades, affected his life, and the life of the average Palestinian, in a manner that has usurped the basic aspects of liberty and dignified life.

Adonis' influence on Arabic literature has been likened to that of T.S. Elliot in the English-speaking world. Yet alongside this spearheading of a modernist literary revolution, the secular Syrian-born poet is also renowned for his persistent and staunch attacks on despotism across the Arab world.

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.

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.

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.

"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.

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.