The Sultan Bin Ali Al Owais Cultural Foundation will be hosting “Al Jawahiri as a Contemporary Poet”; a symposium on late poet Muhammad Mahdi Al Jawahiri (1898-1997) on Wednesday and Thursday, November 14 and 15, 2018.  The event aims at commemorating the prominent Iraqi poet, who was awarded the first Cultural and Scientific Prize during the second session of the Sultan Bin Ali Al Owais Cultural Awards (1990-1991) in appreciation of his great contribution to contemporary Arabic poetry.

The symposium will include several activities to shed light on Al Jawahiri’s life, such as a screening of a documentary about the late poet and a book launch event of  “Ya Dijlatal Khair: Mukhtarat min Qasa’ed Al Jawahiri” (O Bountiful Tigris: Selected Poems by Al Jawahiri). Moreover, the symposium will feature critical studies and researches about the late poet such as: “Rejection in the Poetry of Al Jawahiri between Observing Reality and Establishing Symbols” by Dr. Diaa Abdel Raziq Al Aani, “A Philosophical Dialogue between Al Jawahiri and Al Ma’arri: A Study on Philosophical References in Abu Al Ala’ Al Ma’arri” by Dr. Arif Ahmed Al Zaa’bi, “Al Jawahiri: The Geography of Writing” by Dr. Arif Al Sa’edi, “The Aesthetics of Anger and Cruelty: Reflections on the Poeticism of Al Jawahiri” by Dr. Jaa’far Ali Al Allaq, “Rhythms of Repetition in the Poetry of Al Jawahiri” by Dr. Miqdad Mohammed Shukr Qasim, “The Death of Rhyme Experience in Al Jawahiri’s Poetry: A Study of Four Selected Poems” by Dr. Shaker Nouri and “ The Prose of Al Jawahiri: A Reading of ‘My Memories’” by Dr. Samar Rohy Al Faisal.

It is worth mentioning that upon consulting with the arbitration committee of Al Owais Cultural Awards, the General Secretariat of the Sultan Bin Ali Al Owais Cultural Foundation had decided to grant its first Cultural and Scientific Achievement Award to poet Mohammad Mahdi Al Jawahiri in recognition of the aesthetic value of his poetry, his intellectual and life experiences, his unique themes and his notable presence in the Arab literary scene. Moreover, the statement of the General Secretariat described Al Jawahiri as being one of the most prominent icons of Arab neoclassicism in the modern age, and praised his strong literary, cultural, journalistic and intellectual presence in literary gatherings, poetry festivals, the media and the academic field.

Al Jawahiri’s most prominent publications include: “Halabat Al Adab” (The Literary Arena), “Jinayat Al Roos Wal Injeleez Fi Iran” (The Crime of the Russians and British in Iran), “Bainal Atifa Wal Shu’oor” (Between Emotion and Feeling), “Diwan Al Jawahiri” (Al Jawahiri’s Divan- 2 volumes), “Bareed Al Ghurba” (Letters of Enstrangement), “Al Jawahiri fil Oyoun Min Ash’arih” (Al Jawahiri in His Most Famous Poems), “Bareed Al Awda” (Letters of Homecoming), “Ayuhal Qalaq” (O Anxiety), “Khalajat” (Inner Feelings), “Thikrayati” (My Memories- 3 volumes) and “Al Jamhara” (The Cannon: A Selection of Arabic Poetry).