Listen to the Mourners - by Nā & zik Al-Malā & 'ika (Paperback)

About the Book

"This is one of the first book-length English translations of Nåazik Al-Malåa'ika's Arabic poetry. One of the most influential Iraqi poets of the twentieth century, Nåazik Al-Malåa'ika pioneered the modern Arabic verse movement when she broke away from the formalistic classical modes of Arabic poetry that had prevailed for more than fifteen centuries. Along with °Abdulwahhåab Al-Bayyåati and Badre Shåakir Al-Sayyåab, she paved the way for the birth of a new modernist poetic movement in the Arab World. Until now, very little of Al-Malåa'ika's poetry has been translated into English. Listen to the Mourners contains forty of her most significant poems selected from six published volumes, including Life Tragedy and a Song for Man, The Woman in Love with the Night, Sparks and Ashes, The Wave's Nadir, The Moon Tree, and The Sea Alters Its Colours. These poems show the beginning of her development from the late romantic orientation in Arabic poetry toward a more psychological approach. Her poetic form shows a significant liberation from the traditional two-hemistich line in traditional Arabic poetry, which adheres to the traditional Arabic measures of prosody and rhyme. 'Abdulwåaòhid Lu'lu'a's foreword functions as a critical analysis of the liberated verse movement of the era and situates the poet among her Arab and Western counterparts. This accessible, beautifully rendered, and long overdue translation fills a gap in modern Arabic poetry in translation and will interest students and scholars of Iraqi literature, Middle East studies, women's studies, and comparative literature"--

Book Synopsis

This is one of the first book-length English translations of Nāzik Al-Malā'ika's Arabic poetry.

One of the most influential Iraqi poets of the twentieth century, Nāzik Al-Malā'ika pioneered the modern Arabic verse movement when she broke away from the formalistic classical modes of Arabic poetry that had prevailed for more than fifteen centuries. Along with ʻAbdulwahhāb Al-Bayyāti and Badre Shākir Al-Sayyāb, she paved the way for the birth of a new modernist poetic movement in the Arab world.

Until now, very little of Al-Malā'ika's poetry has been translated into English. Listen to the Mourners contains forty of her most significant poems selected from six published volumes, including Life Tragedy and a Song for Man, The Woman in Love with the Night, Sparks and Ashes, The Wave's Nadir, The Moon Tree, and The Sea Alters Its Colours. These poems show the beginning of her development from the late romantic orientation in Arabic poetry toward a more psychological approach. Her poetic form shows a significant liberation from the traditional two-hemistich line in traditional Arabic poetry, which adheres to the traditional Arabic measures of prosody and rhyme. 'Abdulwāḥid Lu'lu'a's introduction functions as a critical analysis of the liberated verse movement of the era and situates the poet among her Arab and Western counterparts. This accessible, beautifully rendered, and long overdue translation fills a gap in modern Arabic poetry in translation and will interest students and scholars of Iraqi literature, Middle East studies, women's studies, and comparative literature.

Review Quotes

"In the introduction to Listen to the Mourners, 'Abdulwāḥid Lu'lu'a, who was a personal acquaintance and colleague of Al-Malā'ika's, outlines the nature of her contribution for the non-reader of Arabic. . . . Lu'lu'a's translations are literal and often compelling." --Times Literary Supplement

"This is an excellent translation, capturing the beauty of Nāzik Al-Malā'ika's poetry and making this formative, leading Arab poet available to an English audience." --Bassam K. Frangieh, author of Anthology of Arabic Literature, Culture, and Thought from Pre-Islamic Times to the Present

About the Author

Nāzik Al-Malā'ika (1923-2007) was an Iraqi poet and is considered by many to be one of the most influential contemporary Iraqi female poets. She taught at a number of schools and universities, most notably at the University of Baṣrah and Kuwait University.

'Abdulwāḥid Lu'lu'a is professor emeritus of English literature at Philadelphia University in Amman, Jordan, and the author and translator of sixty-five books, including selections from Samīħ al-Qāsim, 'Abdulrazzāq 'Abdulwāḥid, Muẓaffar al-Nawwāb, and Badre Shākir Al-Sayyāb.