Muhammad al-Maghut

Muhammad al-Maghut was a renowned Syrian writer and poet, who is widely recognized as one of the pioneers of modern Arabic poetry. He was born in 1934 in Salamiyah, a town in central Syria, to an Isma'ili family. He did not receive formal education, but developed a passion for reading and writing from an early age. He was influenced by the works of Arab and Western poets, such as Nizar Qabbani, Khalil Gibran, T.S. Eliot, and Pablo Neruda. He was also inspired by the political and social events of his time, such as the Arab-Israeli conflict, the Syrian independence movement, and the rise and fall of Arab nationalism. He was arrested and imprisoned several times for his political views and activities, and he wrote his first poems on cigarette papers while in jail. He later joined the Syrian Communist Party and became an active member of the opposition. He also worked as a journalist, a radio broadcaster, and a scriptwriter for theater, TV, and cinema. He collaborated with famous Syrian actors, such as Dureid Lahham and Nihad Qal'i, to produce popular and acclaimed theatrical works, such as Kasak ya Watan (Toast to the Homeland), Ghorbeh (Estrangement), and Dayat Tishreen (October's Village). He also wrote several books of poetry and essays, such as Sadness in the Moonlight, A Room with Millions of Walls, Joy is not my Profession, The Rose Slayer, East of Eden, West of God, and I will Betray my Homeland. His poems are characterized by their free verse form, their satirical and sarcastic tone, their vivid imagery and metaphors, and their expression of social misery, malaise, and injustice. He also used humor, irony, and self-mockery to criticize the corruption and oppression of the ruling regimes in the region, and to voice the aspirations and struggles of the marginalized and oppressed people. He is considered one of the most influential and original voices in contemporary Arabic literature, and his poems have been translated into many languages and studied in many universities. He died in 2006 in Damascus, at the age of 72, after suffering from heart failure. He was buried in his hometown of Salamiyah, where he is revered as a national hero and a cultural icon.