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Adunis: Modernism in the Levant
Abstract
Syrian poet Adunis explores modernism beyond its Western definition by integrating what he defines as the first Arab experience of modernism that took place during the medieval era. While Adunis acknowledges twentieth-century Francophone influences in shaping Arab modernism, he questions the Western experience of modernism. Building on the Sufi poetics of Ibn-Arabi and Al-Hallaj, Adunis defines modernism as a revolution within the culture that is in constant tension and progress and thereby never-ending. This paper explores the modernist experience of Adunis in both his poetry and theory, analyzing his work as an integration of re-created Sufism and Francophone theories to produce what he terms revolutionary poetry. Based on his poetic and critical experience, Adunis accuses Arab literary heritage and its narratives of practicing a hegemonic power that ignores and conceals boundaries within society and the minorities they marginalize. Consequently, he defies cultural heritage and literary narratives by forging an alternative memory of Arab heritage based on decentralizing and empowering those confined to the margins. These ideas are explored specifically in The Stage and the Mirrors (1968) and The Songs of Mihyar the Damascene (1961), along with his critical theories of poetry and culture.
Discipline
Literature
Geographic Area
All Middle East
Sub Area
Arab Studies