Adonis Wins Goethe Prize

Syrian poet Adonis, whom we've reported on here and elsewhere, is, according to this article from CBS, "the first Arabic-speaking author to receive one of Germany's most prestigious literary awards, the Goethe Prize of the city of Frankfurt."

Also from the article:

The 81-year-old Adonis accepted the award on Sunday in Frankfurt.

Born Ali Ahmad Said in northern Syria, Adonis fled his homeland for political reasons as a young man. He now lives in Paris but still writes in Arabic.

The jury praised Adonis for bringing modern European ideas and critical thinking into current Arab culture by using classic poetic images based in the traditions of Arabic poets.

The Goethe Prize, worth ?,000 ($72,000), is awarded every three years on Goethe's birthday to someone whose works are deemed to reflect the spirit of the German literary giant.

Another article, from Deutsche Welle , had this to say:

Having published over 30 books, he has forged new ground in poetry, with Moroccan writer and poet Taher Ben Jalloun calling Adonis "the most important living poet in modern Arab poetry" in French newspaper Le Monde in 1982.

Yet Adonis has remained an outspoken critic when it comes to politics, and his views have often been prophetic. In an interview with Deutsche Welle in 2001, he gave his estimation of the developments in the Arab world: "If the political situation in the Arab region does not change, if our leaders do not begin thinking about the people rather than how they can hold onto their power, then catastrophe will rain down in a way no one can begin to imagine."

Adonis is an avowed laicist and believes that Arab culture and politics can develop only through the secularization of society. In an interview with German weekly Die Zeit in 2002, he said, "Arab culture is brilliant when religion does not dictate how things should be. Everything in Arab culture that is free of that is extraordinary."

He views the poetry in his books, newspaper articles and lectures as a cultural project of "civilizing" or educating that can contribute to the renewal of Arab culture.

Adonis now travels back and forth between Paris and Beirut. East and West encounter each other best in art and poetry, he believes - much like Germany's most famous poet, Goethe, who once wrote, "He who knows himself and others will also recognize: Orient and Occident are no longer separable."

Unfamiliar with Adonis? Here's his Poetry Foundation bio page for your perusal.