An Introduction to Arab Poetics

Arabic poetry is the quintessennce of Arab culture. In these four essays - delivered as lectures at the College de France in 1984 - one of the foremost Arab poets reinterprets a rich and ancient heritage. He examines the oral tradition of the pre-Islamic poetry of Arabia and the relationship between Arabic poetry and the Quran, and between poetry and thought. In the final essay, he assesses the challenges of modernism and the impact of Western culture on the Arab poetic tradition.