under the title of “Drawing with Words” at 7 pm on Wednesday and Thursday, May 10 &11, 2017. The symposium will see the participation of a number of prominent scholars who will be presenting papers on the theme of the symposium, including: Dr. Ahmed Barqawi (The “Ego” in Nizar Qabbani’s Poetry), Ali Obaid (Fountains Will not Tire and the Water of Damascus Will Never Run Dry), Dr. Mohamed Shahine (Nizar Qabbani: For Whom the Canary Bird Sings?), Dr. Samar Rohi Al Faisal (Al Qabbani’s Prose: The Other Side of His Creativity), Dr. Afaf Al Bataina (Striving Towards Freedom in Poetry), Dr. Nizar Abou Nasser (Features of the Nizarian Halo), Dr. Ulwi Al Hashemi (Nizar Qabbani: The Blatant Paradox “A Critical Confession”), Dr. Sherif Al Gayyar (On “Love will Forever Be My Master” Poetry Collection: Aesthetic Rebellion and Rejection of Passed on Traditions) and Dr. Barween Habib (The Techniques of Expression in the Poetry of Nizar Qabbani).
The sessions will be moderated by Dr. Fatima Al Sayegh, Dr. Habib Ghuloom, Mr. Adel Khuzam and Ms. Fathiya Al Nimr. Moreover, copies of the book “ Nizar Qabbani: Lyrical Poetry” will be distributed on the sidelines of the event . The book includes a collection of poems by Qabbani, which were sung by leading Arab singers.
It is worth mentioning that the late poet had been granted the Sultan Bin Ali Al Owais Cultural Award for Cultural and Scientific Achievement in the third session (1992-1993). Qabbani is considered one of the most popular and influential Arab poets. His poetry has left an indelible mark on the Arab reader as he succeeded in creating a unique poetic language that is akin to the mundane language of most Arabs and his poetry addressed all social strata. He managed to break the walls of isolation and fear between people and poetry, which helped him become a household name in all Arab homes. His poetry evenings, which took place in different Arab cities, became a cultural phenomenon, both underlining the important status of poetry in the lives of the Arab nation, its role in forming the Arab mind and identity and highlighting the responsibility of poets towards their audience at the same time.
It is worth mentioning that the Sultan Bin Ali Al Owais Cultural Foundation had hosted a similar symposium last April on late poet Mohammed Al Maghout, under the title of “Away from the Flock”, which saw the distribution of the book “Happiness is not my Profession and Other Poems). These events, which commemorate the lives and works of leading Arab poets, aim at reinforcing the importance of poetry within the local community and raising awareness among new generations about the pivotal role of the written word.
