Adonis
(Syria, 1930), the favourite poet of Rotterdam's Mayor Ahmed Aboutaleb, is considered a contender for the Nobel Prize for Literature. After studying philosophy in Damascus, he moved to Beirut and then Paris. His most famous volume, The Songs of Mihyar of Damascus, was published in 1961. His poems, essays, letters and interviews are often translated, especially into French. He broke with the formal structure of Arabic poetry and experimented with free verse and prose poems. In Arabic, Adonis wrote: "To write poetry in this language [...] means to unveil the invisible and reveal the abyss of absence that that distinguishes us from the unseen." In his work, he distances himself from Islam but holds up a mirror to the West, which fails to honour its thinkers and poets an thereby stands in the way of mutual understanding between East and West. His first anthology of work translated into Dutch, Wat blijft (What Remains), will come out during the festival.
Past events
Stars of Arabic Literature
Finally, the poems of Adonis, the most important contemporary Arabic poet, have been translated into Dutch. Tonight Adonis receives the first copy of his poetry collection Wat blijft (What Remains) from Rotterdam’s Mayor Aboutaleb. After that, Egypt’s Alaa al Aswany also presents new work in translation: The Automobile Club of Cairo.
Hello, Poetry and Music
Let yourself be seduced by poetry from home and abroad. Listen to the recitals of the poets, amongst whom three nominees of the VSB Poetry Prize. As a special commission by the festival, Dick van der Harst sets one of Adonis' poems to music.
