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Adonis Syria    PWF 2009

Considered the greatest living Arab poet, Adonis—the pen name of AliAhmed Saïd Esber—was born in 1930 in Al Qassabin, Syria. Adonis’ workhas aroused much controversy in the Arab world, both for itsprovocative content and arresting style. Through his innovative use oflanguage, imagery and narrative technique, Adonis has played a leadingrole in the revolutionizing of Arab literature.

Adonis’ father taught him poetry, as a path away from the village.In 1947, after an improvised meeting with the Syrian president—whom heimpressed with his poems—Adonis received a grant to study at the SyrianUniversity in Damascus, where he graduated with a degree in philosophy.In 1955, he was jailed for six months for membership in the SocialNationalist Party, a pan-Syrian organization. After his release, hesettled in Beirut, obtaining Lebanese citizenship in 1962. After theLebanese Civil War in 1982, he fled to Paris, becoming a Frenchcitizen—teaching Arabic literature at the Sorbonne and representing theArab League at UNESCO.

Adonis’ has always sought to secularize the Arab world—to eliminatealienation caused by political Islam and ideology—but currently seesthe Arabs as “a people that is becoming extinct”.

Adonis’ extensive work includes: If Only the Sea Could Sleep, ThePages of Day and Night, Mihyar of Damascus: His Songs, AnIntroduction to Arab Poetics, and Sufism and Surrealism.

Adonis resides in Paris and Beruit.