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Knowing the Self: Diaspora and Identity through Arabic poetry

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If Arabic is a poetic language, what poetry do Arabic-speaking diasporas need to know to understand their identities?

About this event

Ali Al-Jamri and Huda Fakhreddine will read from the canons of Arabic poetry to draw an image of what it means to be Arab living in the diaspora, and how those residing in the West can understand their heritage best. With readings featuring poetry in Arabic with English translation, the event is perfect for Arabic speakers of all levels and poetry lovers of all backgrounds.

Huda Fakhreddine is a writer, translator, editor and associate professor of Arabic literature at the University of Pennsylvania. Her translations of modern Arabic poems have appeared or are forthcoming in Banipal, World Literature Today, and Middle Eastern Literatures. Her translation Come, Take A Gentle Stab by Salim Barakat is forthcoming September 2021.

Ali Al-Jamri is a Bahraini poet and translator based in the UK. He edited Between Two Islands (2021), an anthology of Bahraini diaspora poetry. His work has appeared in anthologies and magazines including Modern Poetry in Translation, and he is currently curating Manchester Poetry Library’s Arabic poetry collection.