Life

Iraqi poet Muthaffar Al Nawab dies at 88

May 20, 2022
The Iraqi poet reportedly died at the University Hospital Sharjah, after a prolonged illness.
The Iraqi poet reportedly died at the University Hospital Sharjah, after a prolonged illness.

BAGHDAD — Muthaffar Al-Nawab, one of Iraq's most famous and influential poets, has passed away on Friday at the age of 88.

The Iraqi poet reportedly died at the University Hospital Sharjah, after a prolonged illness.

The news marks the end of an eventful life in which his roles spanned those of a teacher, critic and civil servant to prisoner and exile.

Nicknamed the "revolutionary poet", Al Nawab gained most of his renown and notoriety for poems decrying corrupt regimes across the Arab world.

News of his death resulted in colleagues and admirers taking to social media to pay respects, posting videos and selections of his poetry.

Saudi publishing house Adab described Al Nawab's death as a sad day for all lovers of Arab poetry.

Al Nawab was born in Baghdad, in 1934 into an aristocratic family of Indian origin that appreciated art, poetry and music.

He showed a talent for poetry from an early age. He completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Baghdad and became a teacher, but was expelled for political reasons in 1955 and remained unemployed for three years, at a difficult time for his family who was suffering financial hardship.

He joined the Iraqi Communist Party while still at college, and was tortured by the Hashemite Government. After the Iraqi revolution in 1958 which overthrew the monarchy, he was appointed as an inspector at the Ministry of Education. In 1963 he was forced to leave Iraq for neighbouring Iran, after the intensification of competition between the nationalists and the communists who were exposed to prosecution and strict observation by the ruling regime.

He was arrested and tortured by the Iranian secret police, before being forcibly repatriated to the Iraqi government. An Iraqi court handed down a death sentence against him for one of his poems, later commuted to life imprisonment. He escaped prison by digging a tunnel and fled to the marshlands, where he joined a communist faction that sought to overthrow the government.

He was often known as the "revolutionary poet". His poetry is replete with Arab and international revolutionary symbols. He used his work to incite public emotions against repressive regimes, political corruption and injustice. — Agencies


May 20, 2022
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