Victims of a Map
A Bilingual Anthology of Arabic Poetry
Edited by Abdullah al-Udhari
About the Book
Mahmud Darwish, Samih al-Qasim and Adonis are amongst the leading poets in the Arab world today.
Victims of a Map presents some of their finest work in translation, alongside the original Arabic, including thirteen poems by Darwish never before published – in English or Arabic – and a long work by Adonis written during the 1982 siege of Beirut, also published here for the first time.
About the Contributors
Abdullah al-Udhari was born in Taiz, Yemen, in 1941, and has lived in London since 1962. He studied classical Arab literature and Sabaean epigraphy at London University, where he also received a doctorate for his pioneering study, Jahili Poetry before Imru al-Qais [4000 BCE–500 CE], which established him as an authority on early Jahili literature. In 1974 he founded and edited TR, an Anglo-Arab literary and arts magazine. He is a literary historian, poet and storyteller, editor of Classical Poems by Arab Women (Saqi Books), and author of Voice Without Passport, The Arab Creation Myth, Victims of a Map, and Modern Poetry of the Arab World.
Reviews
‘An excellent translation’ Edward Said, The Nation
‘A five-star publication … I would like to see it widely bought, read, and discussed in the English-speaking world.' Orbis
‘A beautifully produced little book.’ Middle East International
‘A very useful introduction to modern Arabic poetry … an elegant, precise translation.’ Al-Majalla
'An excellent collection of verses from three of the most modern Arab poets.' International Journal of Islamic and Arabic Studies
