AUK's Dr. Farrin Authors New Book on Classical Arabic Poetry

American University of Kuwait Assistant Professor of Arabic, Dr. Raymond Farrin, has authored a new book of classical Arabic poetry titled Abundance from the Desert to be released Spring 2011 by Syracuse University Press. 

The book provides a comprehensive introduction to classical Arabic poetry covering the period roughly of 500-1250 CE. It features original translations and illuminating discussions of a number of major classical Arabic poems from a variety of genres. The poems are presented chronologically, each situated within a specific historical and literary context. Together, the selected poems suggest the range and depth of classical Arabic poetic expression; read in sequence, they suggest the gradual evolution of a tradition. 

Moving beyond a mere chronicle, Dr. Farrin outlines a new approach to appreciating classical Arabic poetry based on an awareness of concentric symmetry, in which the poem's unity is viewed not as a linear progression but as an elaborate symmetrical plot. In doing so, the author presents these works in a broader, comparative light, revealing connections with other literatures. The reader is invited to examine these classical Arabic works not as isolated phenomena-notwithstanding their uniqueness and their association with a discrete tradition-but rather as part of a great multicultural heritage.