An Anthology of Modern Arabic Poetry

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This bilingual anthology presents a substantial collection of contemporary Arabic poetry in English, introducing readers to the modern evolution of a major poetic tradition and offering insights into the cultural context of the Arab peoples. Previous English translations often focused on geographic completeness and the Neo-Classicist school, but this anthology prioritizes poetic quality, emphasizing free verse. It features three generations of poets: the Syro-Americans, Egyptian modernists, and free-verse movement poets, showcasing a shift from formal emphasis to content and a move from detached portrayals of the world to expressions of individual experience. Many poets make their English debut here, with some contributing original pieces for the anthology. The bilingual format is designed for students of Arabic literature while appealing to a broader audience with literary interests. An essential selection criterion was the viability of the poems in English as literature, alongside the excellence of their Arabic originals, promising aesthetic enjoyment. Additionally, the anthology highlights the influence of Western poets like Eliot, Yeats, and Pound on modern Arab literature. This work is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which aims to make high-quality scholarship accessible through print-on-demand technology, originally published in 1974.