Arab and Iraqi critics
Al-Marbad poetry festival in Basra embraces prose poetry discourse
BASRA — During the Al-Marbad Poetry Festival, a staple cultural event in Basra for four decades, the third critical session was held focusing on “prose poetry.” This session saw the participation of prominent Arab and Iraqi critics, engaging an audience in the debate on the evolution of poetry. A significant point of discussion was the hypothesis by renowned Iraqi critic Hatem Al-Sakr, suggesting that the major controversy surrounding this poetic development “has been resolved in Iraq.”
Iraqi critic Hatem Al-Sakr told 964media, “Numerous critical books have studied prose poetry through theoretical introductions and complex dialectical approaches, marking a distinctive phenomenon in Iraq.” He highlighted the rigid and strong poetic body in Iraq amidst the global acceptance and rejection of prose poetry, emphasizing the country’s significant experiments across heritage, revival, and innovation.
Iraqi critic Dr. Nadia Henawi added, “Prose poetry is the essence of poetry at its founding moment, the base before the codification of poetry and the emergence of its meters. Music is the overarching element that necessitated the lyrical poem to find meaning, to be at the heart of the poem.”