QABBANI, NIZAR

born March 21, 1923, Damascus, Syria died April 30, 1998, London, Eng. Syrian diplomat and poet whose subject matter, at first strictly erotic and romantic, grew to embrace political issues as well. Written in simple but eloquent language, his verses, some of which were set to music, won the hearts of countless Arabic speakers throughout the Middle East and Africa. Qabbani, who was born into a middle-class merchant family, was also the grandnephew of the pioneering Arab playwright Abu Khalil Qabbani. He studied law at the University of Damascus (LL.B., 1945), then began his varied career as a diplomat. He served in the Syrian embassies in Egypt, Turkey, Lebanon, Britain, China, and Spain before retiring in 1966 and moving to Beirut, Lebanon, where he founded the Manshurat Nizar Qabbani, a publishing company. Meanwhile, he also wrote much poetry, at first in classic forms, then in free verse, which he helped establish in modern Arabic poetry. His poetic language is noted for capturing the rhythms of everyday Syrian speech. The suicide of his sister, who was unwilling to marry a man she did not love, had a profound effect on Qabbani, and much of his poetry concerns the experiences of women in traditional Muslim society. Verses on the beauty and desirability of women filled Qabbani's first four collections. Qasa'id min Nizar Qabbani (1956; Poems by Nizar Qabbani) was a turning point in his art; in it he expressed resentment of male chauvinism. It also included his famed Bread, Hashish and Moon, a harsh attack on weak, impoverished Arab societies that live in a haze of drug-induced fantasies. Thereafter, he often wrote from a woman's viewpoint and advocated social freedoms for women. His 'Ala hamish daftar al-naksa (1967; Marginal Notes on the Book of Defeat) was a stinging critique of unrealistic Arab leadership during the Six-Day War with Israel. Among his more than 20 poetry collections, the most noted volumes are Habibati (1961; My Beloved) and Al-rasm bi-al-kalimat (1966; Drawing with Words). Qasa'id hubb 'Arabiyah (Arabian Love Poems) was published in 1993.