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Abbas Beydoun c_gezett
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Abbas Beydoun (born in 1945 in Shahhur, Lebanon) is a poet, novelist and cultural journalist. He grew up in the port city of Sur (Tyre), studied Arabic Literature at the Lebanese University in Beirut and worked for several years as a teacher of Arabic. In 1977-1978 he studied Islamology at the Sorbonne in Paris. After returning to Lebanon he worked as a culture editor for various Lebanese magazines including al-Hayat and al-Nahar. From 1997 until it ceased publication in early 2017 he was the head of the cultural section of the Beirut daily newspaper al-Safir.
Abbas Beydoun has published many books of verse and several novels and is one of the most significant members of the second generation of modern Arabic poetry. Unlike the previous generation, Beydoun writes in a pared-down, reduced language, using, however, complex, many-layered images and metaphors, and is concerned with breaking with political, social and literary conventions. He is best known in the German-speaking area for his writing in reaction to the events surrounding 11 September 2001, pointing out the late consequences of Western (colonial) policy and challenging Arabic intellectuals to self-criticism. His work has received several literary prizes, most recently the Sheikh Zayed Prize (2017).
Publications (a selection):
Kharif al-bara’a (Autumn of Innocence; novel). Saqi Books, Beirut & London 2016
Album al-khasara (Album of Loss; poetry). Saqi Books, Beirut & London 2012
Maraya Frankenstein (Frankenstein’s Mirror; novel). Saqi Books, Beirut & London 2010
B. B. B. (poetry). Saqi Books, Beirut & London 2007
al-A’mal al-kamila (Collected Works; poetry). Arab Institute for Research and Publishing, Beirut 2007
al-Waqt bi-jur’a kabira (Time in large mouthfuls; poetry). Dar al-Farabi, Beirut 1982