ضحايا الخريطة

Book excerpt: La jaquette indique : Ever since pre-Islamic days, poetry has been the mass art form of the Arabic language. In modern times, poets in the region have had a greater impact on popular culture than novelists, and there can be no doubt that Mahmud Darwish, Samih al-Qasim and Adonis are among the leading poets of the Arab world today. This collection presents fifteen newly translated poems by each poet ; it includes thirteen poems by Darwish never before published in book form, even in Arabic, and a long work by Adonis written during the 1982 siege of Beirut and never published at all. The poems have been translated by the accomplished and well-know translator of Arabic verse Abdullah al-Udhari. The Arabic text of each poem is printed on the facing pages to the translation, making this anthology a powerful learning tool for students of Arabic as well as a showcase of one of the most vibrant of all Arab arts.