The Country

Akl Awit

In this long poem, the voice rises above the flag, and the flag rises above the tragedy. In a book laden with rhetoric, containing French translations of the texts, the poet declares his stance against the stagnation afflicting Lebanon, calling for the lighting of lanterns and the hanging of gallows. He writes as one who screams, but without noise. A poet, critic, university professor, and journalist, he writes for the Beirut-based "An-Nahar" newspaper. He teaches modern Arabic literature at Saint Joseph University in Beirut. He has published thirteen poetry collections to date. His poems have been translated into several foreign languages and published in international anthologies.