Adel Khozam Leads a Global Poetry Project from the UAE; Naila Hina from Pakistan is a part of this esteemed project
Sharjah
In a unique global poetic project, Emirati writer and poet Adel Khozam, a pioneer of literary modernism in the UAE and the Arabian Gulf, has launched a global poetic epic titled Manseerah. This collective work was co-authored by 86 poets from over 50 countries, offering a poetic reflection on what can be described as the “human odyssey.” The project, a first of its kind and scale in the history of global poetry, aims to present a universal poetic text that expresses the contemporary human experience—its concerns, hopes, and dreams—amid the challenges of the 21st century.
The Arabic edition has been released by Dar Altakween, with its new branch in Sharjah –UAE, and Khozam has chosen the Sharjah International Book Fair 2024 as the platform to launch this ambitious project, in recognition of this global cultural institution.
The Voice of World Poets
In presenting the book, Khozam said that joint authorship has always been a field of experimentation for many poets throughout history. Indeed, many ancient epics were authored and expanded upon by numerous poets across different eras. This reflects that, while some may consider literature to be a personal endeavor, grand epics often take on a collective nature, even if attributed to a single poet.
In his introduction, Khozam notes that this epic presents a new poetic form that embodies an infinite variety of poetic, narrative, and stylistic techniques, including fragments, short sections, direct expository passages, and symbolic allusions. Together, these elements create a unique and innovative textual and rhetorical structure. At the same time, the epic demonstrates the boundless power of language to convey ideas in forms that, though sometimes oppositional, can merge artistically to create a fresh, exploratory text within literary practice. Most notably, this endeavor draws from languages worldwide, producing a universal poetic work capable of expressing the essence of today’s human experience.
Chapters of the Epic
The epic spans 16 chapters, with each chapter potentially branching into several sections or internal segments. The reader is invited to engage with the continuous flow of the text without concerning themselves with how the various writings were merged, connected, and organized across the chapters—that was the responsibility of the conceptual creator.
A Global and Arab Presence
The Manseerah epic was co-authored by a distinguished group of renowned poets from around the world. These include Paolo Ruffilli, Beppe Costa (Italy), Germain Droogenbrodt (Belgium), Francis Combes (France), Jane Hirshfield, George Wallace, Anna Cates (United States), Fernando Rendón, Eugenia Sánchez Nieto (Colombia), Fiona Sampson, Chris Scult, Agnes Meadows (United Kingdom), Zhang Zhi, Anna Keiko, Cao Shui (China), Taeko Uemura, Tendo Taijin, Mariko Sumikura (Japan), and other prominent names from all continents.
Arab poets also played a key role, including Saif Al-Rahbi, the late Zahir Al-Ghafri (Oman), Zakia El Marmouke (Morocco), Tarek Eltayeb (Sudan), the late Jalal Zangabady, Muhsin Al-Ramli (Iraq), Moëz Majed (Tunisia), Hamid Larbi (Algeria), Saad Al-Dousari, Fowziyah AbuKhalid (Saudi Arabia), Bassam Jwohur (Yemen), Ghassan Zaqtan (Palestine), the late Mahmoud Quorani, Ashraf Aboul-Yazid (Egypt), Yousef Abou Louz (Jordan), Khulood Al Mualla, Khalid Albudoor (UAE), Leila Al Sayed (Bahrain), Nada Ounsi El Hage (Lebanon), and Shurouk Hammoud (Syria).
Poets from Five Continents
Additional participants include Álvaro Maio (Portugal), Conceição Lima (São Tomé and Príncipe), Khumojetsie Joseph Molapong (Namibia), Irma Kurti, Hamdi Meçaj (Albania), Abdukahhor Kosim (Tajikistan), Jüri Talvet (Estonia), Naheed Kabiri (Iran), Maria Chapp (Argentina), Ayodele Amali (Nigeria), Shirani Rajapakse (Sri Lanka), Poul Lynggaard Damgaard (Denmark), Sue He (New Zealand), Li Qiu Xin (Taiwan), Wonsu Kim (South Korea), Kama Sywor Kamanda (Democratic Republic of the Congo), Demetrios Kraniótis (Greece), Siamer Marulafao (Indonesia), Katherine Graham (Canada), Rahim Karim (Kyrgyzstan), Jordi Valls (Spain), Stoyanka Boyanova (Bulgaria), Tabassum Tahmina Shagufta Hussein, Amin Rahman (Bangladesh), Rosabel Ellis (Aruba), Dr. Aprilia Zank (Germany), Henny Reuwer (Netherlands), Azzam Abidov (Uzbekistan), Thor Stefánsson (Iceland), Anne Casey (Ireland), Naila Hina, Fadil Jamili (Pakistan), Eliza Zieget (Poland), Mai Van Phan (Vietnam), Yusuf Kadel (Mauritius), Keshab Sigdel (Nepal), Vadim Terichin (Russia), Rati Saxena (India), Naida Mujkic (Bosnia and Herzegovina), Norduran Doman (Turkey), Adamo Edde (Niger), and Alvinus Mylius (Saint Lucia).
Artists and Their Voices
The chapters of the epic are also adorned with black-and-white images of artworks by approximately 17 visual artists from around the world. Khozam is currently working on releasing the book in major world languages, with English, Spanish, Chinese, and Bengali versions already in preparation.
Adel Khozam is recognized as one of the most prominent poets from the Arabian Gulf on the global stage. He has published over 20 works, spanning poetry, novels, philosophy, studies, and translations. Throughout his literary career, he has won numerous awards from poetry festivals in India, China, the United States, Europe, and Russia. Notably, he launched the anthology World Poetry Tree, featuring contributions from over 400 poets across 106 countries, during the UAE’s hosting of Expo Dubai 2020.
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