Adonis

Atef Alshaer (University of Westminster)

Ed. by Anna Bernard, King's College London
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 6.1.3: Middle-Eastern Arabic Writing and Culture: Modern and Contemporary.
Vol. editors: Ziad Elmarsafy (King's College London), Claire Gallien (Université Paul Valéry Montpellier 3), Nora Parr (SOAS, University of London), Rita Sakr (Maynooth University), Anastasia Valassopoulos (University of Manchester)

Dates

Born 30 Jan 1930
Activity 1960-ongoing

Places

Born in Syria
Active in Lebanon; Syria

Activities

Primary

Poet

Other

Essayist

Resources

Said Esbar's Works

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There are few writers whose names happen to signify their worldview and character as much as the Syrian poet and intellectual ‘Ali Ahmad Said Esber. He adopted the name Adonis at the age of seventeen and has ever since been widely known by it. Adonis was born in 1930 in the village of Qassabin in the district of Latakia in Northern Syria to an Alawite family. He struggled to get his poems published under his original name, and therefore opted for Adonis, which allowed him to publish in magazines. Another early milestone in his life was when he recited his poetry to the then Syrian President Shukri al-Kuwatli (1955-1958), who subsequently helped him to secure scholarships. Adonis’s life and vision are reflected in his copious contributions to Arabic poetry, literary life and politics…

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2490 words

Citation: Alshaer, Atef. "Adonis". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 13 January 2014 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=13116, accessed 21 November 2024.]