Concerto al-Quds (The Margellos World Republic of Letters) - Hardcover

Adonis

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0300197640 ISBN 13: 9780300197648

Publisher: Yale University Press, 2017

Synopsis

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

At the age of eighty-six, Adonis, an Arabic poet with Syrian origins, a critic, an essayist, and a devoted secularist, has come out of retirement to pen an extended, innovative poem on Jerusalem/Al-Quds. It is a hymn to a troubled city embattled by the conflicting demands of Jews, Christians, and Muslims. Adonis’s city, as a coveted land, ought to suggest the universal love of humanity; as a land of tragedy, a place of contending history and beliefs, and a locus of bitterness, conflict, hatred, rivalry, and blood. Wrapping multiple voices, historical references, and political viewpoints within his ecstatic lyricism, Adonis has created a provocative work of unique beauty and profound wisdom, beautifully rendered in English by award-winning poet Khaled Mattawa.

About this title

Book Description:

From the man revered as the greatest living Arabic poet, this deeply felt poem is a hymn to the troubled city of Jerusalem/Al-Quds, embattled by the conflicting demands of Jews, Christians, and Muslims. Adonis combines ecstatic lyricism with acute political insight to shed light on the City of God’s contentious history and beliefs.

About the Author:

Adonis, born Ali Ahmad Sa’id, is a Syrian poet. He has been a leading figure in the modernist movement in Arabic poetry since the mid-twentieth century. He lives in France. Khaled Mattawa is professor of English and Creative Writing at the University of Michigan. He has received a MacArthur grant among many other awards for his writings and translations.

About this edition

• Publisher: Yale University Press
• Publication date: 2017
• ISBN 10: 0300197640
• ISBN 13: 9780300197648
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 96