The Sultan Bin Ali Al Owais Cultural Foundation, in collaboration with the Cultural and Scientific Association will be organizing a symposium under the title of “Mohammed Saleh Al Gurg: Present in the Questions of Existence”, to mark the first anniversary of the passing of late author, poet and translator Mohammed Saleh Al Gurg (1936-2020). The event will take place at 7pm on Wednesday, November10, 2021 at the premises of the Cultural and Scientific Association in Al Mamzar, Dubai.
On this occasion, the Sultan Bin Ali Al Owais Cultural Foundation has released a book with the same title, Mohammed Saleh Al Gurg: Present in the Questions of Existence, by Dr. Omar Abdul Aziz. The book is part of the Foundation’s “Figures from the UAE” book series, which aims at documenting the literary, cultural, artistic and public memories of the UAE by shedding light on notable personalities that have left an indelible mark on local and Arab cultural life.
The symposium will see the participation of friends of the late author, and will include a book signing event as well as an exhibition showcasing some of Al Gurg’s personal collection of books, including a selection of various editions of Al Khayyam’s Quartets, published around the world in different languages. The late author had completed an Arabic translation of the book and published it in a volume in four languages (Arabic, Farsi, English and French).
It is worth mentioning that Al Owais Cultural Foundation had recognized this translation and organized a symposium under the title of “Spaces of Al Khayyam” in April 2009, which featured Dr. Abdul Wahed Lu’lu’a, Dr. Mohammed Radwan Al Daya, Dr. Fatiman Al Breiki and Dr. Omar Abdul Aziz. The symposium was followed by a gala concert featuring Syrian vocalist Suheir Shuqeir, who performed a selection from Al Khayyam’s quartets. Moreover, Dubai’s House of Poetry had also recognized this translation on the sidelines of Dubai International Poetry Festiveal (2009). Al Gurg’s translation includes 200 quartets selected by the translator.
The new book Mohammed Saleh Al Gurg: Present in the Questions of Existence is available at the Sharjah Book Fair, at the pavilion of Dar Al Unwan Publishing and Distribution, Hall #3. In addition tens of books published by the Sultan Bin Ali Al Owais Cultural Foundation are also available there.
Mohammed Saleh Al Gurg was born in Dubai in 1936. He studied at Al Falah and Al Ahmadieh Schools. Since childhood, he was passionate about literature and culture and had a great love of reading, making use of the many books in his father’s library. He worked in a number of government posts for a few years before retiring and working in his own business in addition to pursuing his cultural and literary interests. He mastered a number of languages, including English, Farsi and Urdu as well as Arabic. He did not publish his poetry in book form, but mostly in magazines and newspapers. Apart from his poetry, he wrote a weekly column in local newspapers under the title of “Ghaid Min Faid”, in which he shed light on selected poetry, proverbs, and interesting literary and scientific anecdotes.
