In his new book “Syrian Poets and Vernacular Modernity,” Daniel Behar looks at a poetic movement that rose from under official state discourse in 1970s Syria. The text examines unknown poetic texts from Syria from the 1970s onward. In this conversation, Behar looks back on the work of his new book and how Monzer al-Masri gradually became its protagonist.
“Do the players belong to the police force or the thieves?” one of our failed players asked. “The thieves, you moron,” our always-angry coach said.
“When Naguib Mahfouz was a boy, he tells us, two paths lay before him. There was the path of the literature he loved to read and write. He could take that path and become a distinguished author. There was also the path of the football he loved to play and the footballers he admired. He could take that, it was said, and become a member of the Egyptian Olympic football team.”
