Alshaer's book offers a subtle and historically grounded reading of modern Arabic poetry, emphasising the aesthetic integration of politics within poetic form.

Cover -- modern arabic poetry -- Title -- Copyright -- Dedication -- CONTENTS -- Acknowledgments -- Note on Translation and Transliteration -- Introduction -- CHAPTER 1 The Politics and Poetics of the Modern Arab World -- CHAPTER 2 From Iltizām to Metapoetry: ʻAbd al-Wahhāb al-Bayātī -- CHAPTER 3 From Iltizām to the Arab Uprising: Aḥmad ʻAbd al-Muʻṭī Ḥijāzī -- CHAPTER 4 From Militant Iltizām to Humanist: Maḥmūd Darwīsh -- Conclusion: The Poets and Their Vocation in the Modern World -- Appendix: Interview with Aḥmad ʻAbd al-Muʻṭī Ḥijāzī -- Notes -- Bibliography -- Index

Poetry has long dominated the cultural landscape of modern Iraq, simultaneously representing the literary pinnacle of high culture and giving voice to the popular discourses of mass culture. As the favored genre of culture expression for religious clerics, nationalist politicians, leftist dissidents, and avant-garde intellectuals, poetry critically shaped the social, political, and cultural debates that consumed the Iraqi public sphere in the twentieth century. The popularity of poetry in modern Iraq, however, made it a dangerous practice that carried serious political consequences and grave risks to dissident poets. The Dangers of Poetry is the first book to narrate the social history of poetry in the modern Middle East. Moving beyond the analysis of poems as literary and intellectual texts, Kevin M. Jones shows how poems functioned as social acts that critically shaped the cultural politics of revolutionary Iraq. He narrates the history of three generations of Iraqi poets who navigated the fraught relationship between culture and politics in pursuit of their own ambitions and agendas. Through this historical analysis of thousands of poems published in newspapers, recited in popular demonstrations, and disseminated in secret whispers, this book reveals the overlooked contribution of these poets to the spirit of rebellion in modern Iraq.

This major new anthology reflects the extraordinary upsurge in Arab poetry since 1947.

This book shows how colloquial Bedouin poetry remains a vibrant art that has manifold modern functions: commenting on world affairs (such as the Arab-Israeli wars, the Gulf War, the American invasion of Iraq); criticizing the domestic policies of Arab states; and highlighting poverty, discrimination, the corrupt practices of officialdom, and a compliant local media. Each of the 41 poems presented is transliterated and translated into English verse, with historical and contextual annotation. The tone is sometimes bitter, sometimes satirical, sometimes scurrilous, and often amusing. The poems are prefaced by an essay on the practice of modern Bedouin poetry. Poetry and Politics in Contemporary Bedouin Society is completed by appendices containing the Arabic script versions of the poems, extensive language notes, and a glossary of the vocabulary.

Indeed, throughout this innovative work, Cohen-Mor exhibits a strong empathy for the Arab people as well as a close knowledge of Middle Eastern culture. Opening a new perspective on Arab thought, creative expression, and ways of life, A Matter of Fate is a significant contribution to the fields of Middle Eastern studies, Arabic language and literature, Islamic studies, comparative literature, and comparative religion."--BOOK JACKET.