About
Nizar Qabbani was a major Syrian poet of the 20th century. Born in Damascus to a prominent family, he studied law and published his first collection in 1944. He pursued a diplomatic career until 1966, then devoted himself to publishing. His poetry, often engaged, addresses love, the female body, and political critique. His poem on the 1967 defeat and his elegy for his wife killed in 1981 left a mark. He left over 30 collections and died in London in 1998.
* 1923-03-21 — † 1998-04-28
Major works
- Qalat li al-Samra' (1944)poetry collection
- Hawāmish ʿalā Daftar al-Naksa (1967)poem
- Balqispoem
- My Story with Poetryprose
- On Poetry, Sex, and Revolutionprose
Key milestones
- 1945Earned a law degree from the University of Damascus.
- 1966Left the diplomatic service to found his publishing house in Beirut.
- 1992Received the Sultan Bin Ali Al Owais Award for Cultural and Scientific Achievements.
Themes
lovefemale bodypolitical critiqueArab defeatexile
Sources: britannica.com · oxfordbibliographies.com · loc.gov