Political poetry of Nizar Qabbani: a critical study and translation
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Authors
Al-Shahham, Abdullah A-M. A.
Abstract
This thesis, the first serious study of Nizär Qabbäni in any
language, has two main objectives. The first is to undertake a critical
analysis of his political poetry, while the second is to offer a translation
of the poetry which forms the basis of this study.
The Introduction to Part One treats the critical approach used, reviews
previous works on Nizär and discusses the sources for a study of the poet.
CHAPTER ONE gives an account of Nizär's life and cultural formation, and is
largely based on material not previously available, or scattered through a
number of different sources. CHAPTER TWO deals with Nizär's concept of
poetry, covering his definition of poetry, his revolt against old poetical
forms and his views on the relationship between the public and poetry.
CHAPTER THREE reviews the origins of Arabic political poetry and then goes on
to discuss Nizär's view of the relationships between political power and the
poet and between poetry and revolution, and goes on to discuss his attitude to
"committed poetry". CHAPTER FOUR analyses Nizär's nationalist poetry, and
deals with his criticisms of Arab society, his reactions to such events as the
British, French and Israeli attack upon Egypt of 1956, the Algerian War of
Liberation, the Palestine disaster of 1948 and Arab unity. CHAPTER FIVE
concentrates on the results of the Arab defeat in the June War of 1967 and the
rise of the Palestinian movement as these are reflected in Nizär's poetry.
CHAPTER SIX analyses the poems composed by Nizär on the October War in which
he tried to forget the wounds of the 1967 defeat. CHAPTER SEVEN deals with
his elegies upon the death of Nasser. CHAPTER EIGHT discusses the Civil War
in Lebanon and the destruction of Beirut, which ushered in the final stage of
Nizär's poetic development. These chapters are followed by a short
conclusion and a full bibliography.
Part Two of the thesis is a translation of the political poetry, accompanied
by the original Arabic poetic texts.
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