Iraqi Poet Saadi Youssef (1934-2021) Dies in London
“In the early morning hours of June 12, the great Iraqi poet Saadi Youssef died at his home in the village of Harefield, outside London.”
Search Results for: Saadi Youssef
To Exorcise the Fear of War: Abdelaziz Baraka Sakin with Sinan Antoon
Join Literatures of Annihilation, Exile, and Resistance for a virtual event with Abdelaziz Baraka Sakin and Sinan Antoon.
Iraqi Poet Lamia Abbas Amara Dies at 92
“Her personality, her way of using body language, and the way her voice rose and fell as she recited poetry created a magic atmosphere that took over the audience.”
Authors & Translators Who Left Us in 2021
A look back at a few authors, translators, and publishers who left us in 2021.
Reading T.S. Eliot in Arabic: A Talk with Ghareeb Iskander
“Saadi Youssef, in his introduction to the translation of Song of Myself, criticizes those who described Whitman as a “Sufi” poet, but he uses mystic language in his translation of Whitman’s masterpiece. It’s fascinating how a text was read and transformed into different forms and styles.”
Iraq: Corporeality & Memory: Iraqi literature, 20 years after 9/11
The aftermath of September 11th 2001, which brought about the “war on terror” and the invasion of Iraq, also led the destruction of the Iraqi state and its social structure. Authors, translators and scholars Sinan Antoon, Dunya Mikhail, Adnan Al-Sayegh, Jenny Lewis, and Haytham Bahoora meet to read from their work and discuss how Iraq in contemporary literature ‘writes back’ in the face of destruction and assaults on culture.
Things You May Find Hidden in My Ear: A Conversation with Mosab Abu Toha
“When writing in Arabic, it’s often about the past, my grandfather and home, or it’s about statelessness and alienation. It’s about our dilemma as human beings.”
Focus IRAQ: Canonical Works & New Voices
We asked a number of Iraqi writers, translators, and scholars to put together a list of their highlights from Iraqi literature.
New Library-recommendation Project: 10 from Marilyn Hacker
Our third list of 10 for public libraries — thankfully poetry-heavy — comes from celebrated poet-translator Marilyn Hacker.
