About
Adonis, born Ali Ahmad Said Esber in 1930 into an Alawite farming family near Latakia, Syria, studied philosophy at the University of Damascus and earned a doctorate in Arabic literature in Beirut. A leading figure in the renewal of Arabic poetry, he co-founded the journal Shi'r in 1957 and directed Mawaqif from 1968. His work, influenced by Sufism and Surrealism, revolutionized classical poetic forms. Exiled to Paris since the 1980s, he has taught at several universities and received numerous international awards.
* 1930-01-01
Major works
- Aghani Mihyar al-Dimashqi (1961)poetry collection
- Qabr min ajl New York (1971)prose poem
- Al-Thabit wa al-mutahawwil (1974)critical essay
- Al-Kitab (1995)poetic epic
- Al-Sufiyyah wa al-Suriyaliyyah (1995)essay
Key milestones
- 1957Co-founds the journal Shi'r in Beirut.
- 1968Founds and edits the journal Mawaqif.
- 2011Awarded the Goethe Prize.
Themes
Poetic modernitySufismSurrealismExileCritique of tradition
Sources: britannica.com · poetryfoundation.org · poets.org