Arabian Nights – World Poems’ Anthology Part One Released

World Literature

Arabian Nights – World Poems’ Anthology Part One Released

January 13, 2022

The first part of anthology contains poems of 150 poets from 40 countries. On Nov.15 this year, all the parts will be published combined in one volume of 1001 pages.

From Our Correspondent

Cairo

As the part of the World Poetry Movement activities in Egypt, the first segment of the Arabian Nights – World Poems’ Anthology has been released in the Silk Road Literature series, edited by Ashraf Aboul-Yazid.

According to what announced by the editor, the ten-segment anthology will be issued successively, one each month, until October 15, 2022, to be published on November 15, combined in one volume of 1001 pages.

The editor had invited the world’s poets to join this anthology, in a letter in which he wrote:

“Arabian Nights (1001 Nights) is a literary work that inspired the world’s creators, whether they were poets, novelists, painters, or film, theater makers and music composers – A world that mixes history and legend, a space to travel between illusion and reality.”

He asked: “Have you read the Nights, or just some of its tales? Have you thought about expressing your admiration or discontent with them? Have you thought of writing a poem about Arabian Nights; characters, heroes, narrator, and the paths of their women and men?”

Then he concluded: “Be Scheherazade or Dunyazad, act as Shahryar or Shah Zaman, do as Aladdin or Ali Baba, and create your own poetic nights…. This is the theme for the new issue of the Silk Road Literature Series Anthology. You presented in the first issue (Asia Sings), you excelled in the second issue (Mediterranean Waves), and you shined in the third issue (Ancient Egyptians, Modern Poets), and we are waiting for you in the fourth issue (Arabian Nights, World Poems).

Finally, 150 poets from more than 40 countries contributed to the fourth issue (Arabian Nights, World Poems). Along the year 2022, 10 Books will be monthly produced, starting from January 15 , 2022 to October 15, 2022, and in November, a volume of 1001pages will be published.

The first part of the anthology has an article in English & Arabic on the Long-Lost Watercolors of ‘1001 Nights’ Bring New Life to Age-Old Tales by Danish illustrator Kay Nielsen written by Laura Beltrán Villamizar, and translated by Ashraf Aboul-Yazid.

Laura Beltrán Villamizar is director of Photography at Atmos Magazine. She’s also a freelance writer, curator, and educator in the field of visual arts and storytelling. She was Projects Photo Editor and Art Director at NPR, shaping the brand’s visual identity and elevating its photography journalism throughout all its platforms.

In 2016, she founded NATIVE, an online platform that elevates the work of image makers from under- represented communities. As the Head of Creative and Strategy at NATIVE, Laura has worked with photographers, illustrators, designers, and filmmakers from around the world, re-imagining interactive visual storytelling through a more inclusive and revolutionary lens.

The first part of the anthology, illustrated by Nielsen, is multi-languages, with poets Abdukakhor Kosim, Ali Alhazm, Borislav Batin, Bozena Helena Mazur Nowak, Dr. Dimitris P. Kraniotis, Eldar Akhadov, Fahredin Shehu, Francisco Azuela, Harinder Cheema, James Tian, Ljubica Katic, Marlene Pasini, Nigar Arif and Olga Levadnaya. This can be read online, for free, via this link

This is the full list, arranged alphabetically: