Hello. I have been reading your blog for a while. It's incredibly beautiful. I want to get a book of Arabian poetry, but I'm afraid I do not know enough to make a sound choice. Could you, please, recommend some of your favorite Arabian poets or books? Thanks you very much in advance.
Hello Nizars and thank you for the kind message, don’t know whether you’ll read this as it’s been posted ages ago.
First of all, allow me to point out a small mistake that is alas too often made (answering publicly for this purpose): the correct term is Arab, mostly when referring to a person, and Arabic when it’s referring to a language, culture, or book for that matter :) Arabian is an outdated (as it is linked to the Peninsula) and slightly problematic term that nowadays exclusively refers to horses.
To answer your question: it mostly depends on what you enjoy and/or are looking for + whether English translations of the original materials exist. Mahmoud Darwish is widely translated and is a great introduction to modern Arabic poetry. Other popular favourites are also Gibran Khalil Gibran and Nizar Qabbani. Personal advice: track down the author of your favourite excerpt on our page, could be a good place to start :)
