Abd al-Wahhab al-Bayati (Arabic: عبد الوهاب البياتي) (December 19, 1926 – August 3, 1999) was an Iraqi Arab poet.
Biography Al-Bayati was born in Baghdad. Al-Bayati was an Iraqi Turkmen poet. One of his friends, Ahmed Abdel-Moeti Hegazi, said urban centers of "hotels and institutions, cafés and airports" were actually his temporary residences.Hegazi, Agmed Abdel-Moeti. "Points of Reference ." Al-Ahram Weekly Online Issue No. 442 (12–18 August 1999). Retrieved on 4 May 2005 He attended Baghdad University, and became a teacher after graduating from Dar al-Mu'allimin (the Teacher's College) in 1950, the same year that he released his first collection of poems, Mala'ika wa Shayatin (Angels and Devils).
In 1996, he published a poem "The Dragon". The translation by Farouk Abdel Wahab, Najat Rahman, and Carolina Hotchandani is from the volume Iraqi Poetry Today () (c) 2003, edited by Saadi Simawe. "The Dragon" is an example of al-Bayyati's frequent incorporation of mythological figures into his poetry. Critics have interpreted the poem as addressed to Saddam Hussein.Text of "The Dragon" with commentary and links
Sufism Al-Bayati was influenced by the Middle Eastern Sufi figures. One example is a poem by al-Bayati entitled "A’isha's Mad Lover" in his book, Love Poems on the Seven Gates of the World (1971): "In this context Al-Bayati's poetry becomes Sufi in default, since he assumes the position as a modernist whose aspirations for an earthy paradise have not materialized."Al-Musawi, M. (2009). Islam on the Street: Religion in Modern Arabic Literature. Toronto: Bowman and Littlefield Publishers, Inc., p. 211.
Works
Original volumes
Mala'ika wa shayatin (Angels and Devils), 1950 Abariq muhashshama, 1954 Risala ila Hazim Hikmet wa quas'aid ukhra, 1956 Al-Majd li al-atfal wa al-zaytun, 1956 Ash'ar fi al-manfa, 1957 Ishrun qasida min Berlin, 1959 Kalimat la tamut, 1960 Muhakama fi Nisabur, 1963 Al-Nar wa al-kalimat, 1964 Sifr al-faqr wa al-thawra, 1965 Alladhi ya'ti wa laya'ti, 1966 Al Mawt fi al Hayat, 1968 Tajribati al-shi'riyya, 1968 'Ulyun al-kilab al-mayyita, 1969 Buka'iyya ila shams haziran wa al-murtaziqa, 1969 Al Kitaba al Teen, 1970 Yawmiyyat siyasi muhtarif, 1970 Qasaid hubb 'ala bawwabat al-'alam al-sab, 1971 Sira dhatiyya li sariq al-nar, 1974 Kitab al-bahr, 1974 Qamar Shiraz, 1976 Mamlakat al-sunbula, 1979 Sawt al-sanawat al-daw'iyya, 1979 Bustan 'A'isha, 1989 Al-Bahr Ba'id, Asma'uh Yatanahhud (The Sea is Distant, I Hear It Sighing), 1998
Translated volumes
Lilies and Death, 1972 (trans. Mohammed B. Alwan) The Singer and the Moon, 1976 (trans. Abdullah al-Udhari) Eye of the Sun, 1978 Love Under Rain (Al-hubb tahta al-matar), 1985 (transl. Desmond Stewart and George Masri) Love, Death, and Exile, 1990 (trans. Bassam K. Frangieh)
Anthologies with only works by Abd al-Wahhab Al-Bayati
Poet of Iraq: Abdul Wahab al-Bayati. An introductory essay with translations by Desmond Stewart, 1976 Abdul Wahab al-Bayati, 1979 (a short introduction and four poems, trans. Desmond Stewart and George Masri)
Anthologies with works by Abd al-Wahhab Al-Bayati and other poets
Abdullah al-Udhari, ed. and trans. Modern Poetry of the Arab World. Harmondsworth, UK: Penguin, 1986. An Apology for a Short Speech The Arab Refugee The Fugitive Hamlet Profile of the Lover of the Great Bear To Ernest Hemingway Salma Khadra Jayyusi, ed. Modern Arabic Poetry: An Anthology. New York: Columbia University Press, 1987 The Birth of Aisha and Her Death Eligy for Aisha The Impossible Luzumiyya Simawe, Saadi ed. Iraqi Poetry Today, London: King's College, London, 2003 The Dragon An Elegy to Aisha I am Born and I Burn in My Love Love Under The Rain The Nightmare Nine Ruba'iyat Shiraz Moon Three Ruba'iyat To Naguib Mahfouz [Amman, 15 April 1997] To TS Eliot Transformations of Aisha: Aisha's Birth and Death in the Magical Rituals Inscribed in Cuneiform on the Nineveh Tablets Two Poems for my son, Ali Who Owns the Homeland? Writing on Aisha's Tomb Further reading
Azouqa, Aida. "Defamiliarization in the Poetry of ‘Abd al-Wahhab al-Bayati and T.S. Eliot: a comparative study." Journal of Arabic Literature 32.2 (2001): 167–211. Boullata, Issa J. "The Masks of ‘Abd al-Wahhab al-Bayyati." Journal of Arabic Literature 32.2 (2001): 107–118. Kadhim, Hussein N. "‘Abd al-Wahhab al-Wahhab al-Bayyati’s ‘Odes to Jaffa’." Journal of Arabic Literature 32.2 (2001): 86–106. Musawi, Muhsin Jasim. "Abd al-Wahhab al-Bayati’s Poetics of Exile." Journal of Arabic Literature 32.2 (2001): 212–238 Musawi, Muhsin Jasim. "Engaging Tradition in Modern Arab Poetics." Journal of Arabic literature 33.2 (2002): 172–210. Noorani, Yaseen "Visual Modernism in the Poetry of ‘Abd al-al-Wahhab al-Bayati." Journal of Arabic Literature 32.3 (2001): 239–255. Rizk, Kahali Shukrallah. The Poetry of ‘Abd Al-Wahhab Al-Bayyati: thematic and stylistic study, Dissertation (Ph. D), Indiana University: 1981. Salama, Mohammad R. "The Mise-en-Scene of ‘Writintg’ in al-Bayati's Al-Kitabah ‘ala al-tin ‘Writing on the Mud’." Journal of Arabic Literature 32.2 (2001): 167–211. Stetkevych, Suzanne Pinckney. "Perhaps a Poet is Born, or Dies: the poetics of ‘Abd al—Wahhab al- Bayyati." Journal of Arabic Literature 32.2 (2001): 88–238. Stewart, Desmond, editor and translator. Poet of Iraq, Abdul Wahab al-Bayati, an introductory essay with translations. Gazelle Publication: 1976.
Notes
References Ryding, Karin C. - "A Reference Grammar of Modern Standard Arabic", Page 88, Section 5, "Nouns of intensity, repetition, profession", Cambridge University Press, © Karin C. Ryding 2005 Author Unknown. "1958: Coup in Iraq Sparks Jitters in the Middle East" BBC 14 July 1958. Accessed 1 May 2005. This site is an archived BBC article on the military coup d'état in 1958 that allowed al-Bayyati to briefly return to Iraq. Author Unknown. "An Interview With al-Bayyati" Al-Ahram Weekly February 1999. 13 April 2005 The author interviews al-Bayyati, who discusses with great feeling his ideas on the craft of writing, on religion, on women and on the politics that have shaped his life. This interview offers a charming glimpse of al-Bayatti's character, wit and personality. An extended obituary for al-Bayyati is also included at the bottom of the page. Bahgory, George. "Abdel-Wahab al-Bayyati" Al-Ahram Weekly 18 August 1999. 13 April 2005 A short poem and drawing in memory of al-Bayyati by celebrated Egyptian artist and cartoonist George Bahgory. Frangieh, Bassam. "Modern Arabic Poetry: Vision and Reality" Yale University Date Unavailable. 13 April 2005 This article examines work by modern Arabic poets in terms of historical and political events. It includes al-Bayyati's "Elegy to Aisha" with commentary. Hegazi, Ahmed Abdel-Moeti. "Points of Reference" Al-Ahram Weekly 18 August 1999. 13 April 2005 Ahmed Abdel-Moeti Hegazi remembers al-Bayyati. This is an in-depth look at the poet from the perspective of a friend who had been acquainted with him for many years. It offers a fresh and enthralling view of al-Bayyati, and is by far the most personal article we have come across. This is the only example we have found of someone writing about al-Bayatti the man rather than al-Bayatii the poet. The site also includes a biography.
The text of this site, which appears in a few other locations on the web, includes a brief biographical overview of the author and a list of selected works. It discusses al-Bayyati's poetry in the context of his life, giving examples of poems influenced both by his politics, his separation from his homeland and his later Sufist influence. Ormsby, Eric. "Voices From the Wreckage" Maisonneuve May 2004. 12 April 2005. Eric Ormsby eloquently describes seeing al-Bayyati read his poetry at a conference of Near Eastern poets, and reviews the book Iraqi Poetry Today. His review also offers an abridged historical commentary on the work of several poets included in the book. Pollard, Lawrence. "How War Inspires the World's Poets" BBC 10 November 2002. 13 April 2005 A BBC special in honor of Remembrance Sunday, BBC World services correspondent Lawrence Pollard examines the ways that war inspires poets and writers the world over. The sit includes an extract from "Lament for the June Sun" by al-Bayyati with commentary.
An overview of al-Bayyati's life and poetry, written following his death. Unfortunately, membership to the site must be obtained to access the full text.
External links Death of Abdul Wahab Al-Bayati, 73; Iraqi Poet and Innovator in His Art Man and Woman English translation of one of Al-Bayyati's poems