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| Lamia Abbas |
Iraqi poet Lamia Abbas Amara was born in 1929 and published her first poem when she was thirteen:
Lamia Abbas Amara was from a poetic family — she was cousin to the well-known Iraqi poet Abdul Razak Abdul Wahed — and she started writing poetry when very young. She graduated from Baghdad’s Higher Teacher’s College in 1950 and, for many years, taught Arabic.
Her three most widely read poetry collections are: The Empty Corner, I Am Iraqi, and Had the Fortune-teller Told Me.
She has written both formal and free verse, and she’s said that that formal verse is the way to communicate with others, but that she prefers writing free verse, which she things bring her closer to her audience.
She was a member of the Board of Directors of the Iraqi Writers Association between 1963 and 75, and deputy to the Iraqi representative for UNESCO in Paris from 1973-75.
Poet Lamia Amara dies aged 92
Lamia Amara, one of Iraq’s most revered poets, died on Friday in a California hospital after an illness.
She was 92.
A writer, columnist and cultural ambassador, Amara was known as one of the leaders of the Iraqi literary scene in the 1940s and a pioneer of the Arabic form of free verse poetry.
She was renowned for her poetry exploring social aspects of Iraq collected in compilations including The Empty Corner (1960), They Call Him Love (1972) and 1980’s Had the Fortune-teller Told Me.
Her death is another blow for Iraqi culture after poet Saadi Youssef died aged 87 in London last week.
News of Amara’s death spread across social media and was followed by tributes from Iraq’s leadership.
“We bid farewell to the great poet Lamia Amara,” Iraqi President Barham Salih wrote in a tweet that was accompanied by a portrait of Amara.
“We ask God’s forgiveness for her soul and patience for her generous family and her loved ones.”
Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi released a statement of condolence through the Iraqi News Agency.
“The Iraqi people mourn the departure of the great Iraqi poet, Mrs Lamia Abbas Amara,” he said.
“With this painful departure, an Iraqi palm tree has left our world, but it left rich shadows of wonderful poetry and an unforgettable contribution to Iraqi culture that successive generations will remember with pride and reverence.”
Iraq Minister of Culture Hassan Nadhem praised Amara’s contribution to the country’s literary landscape.
“She was distinguished by her transparent poetry, deep passion and great love for her country and her people, despite her long forced separation from the homeland,” he said.
“She was a unique voice among many shaping the modernity of the Iraqi poetic scene.”
An Arab literary pioneer
Born in Baghdad in 1929 and raised in the central district of El Kureima, Amara was a member of Iraq’s Mandaean religious minority.
She came from a family of creatives and craftsmen. Her uncle was gold and silversmith Zahron Ammar, and her nephew the poet Abdul Razzaq Abdul Wahed.
Amara began writing at an early age and published her first poem at age 14 in Al Sameer, a in New York founded by Lebanese poet Elia Abu Madi.
Such was his enthusiasm for the piece, Abu Madi wrote an accompaniment and declared Amara a talent to watch.
Her literary passions were further explored during her time at Dar Al Muallam Al Aliyah, a former college now known as the University of Baghdad.
While Amara studied to be an educator it was through meeting groups of compatriots and fellow future poets, including Badr Shaker Al-Sayyab, Nazik Al-Malaika and Abd al-Wahhab al-Bayati, that she dedicated her life to literature.
Through spirited debates and competition, this group of poets went on to lead Shi’r Al Hurr, an Arabic version of the freewheeling and conversational free verse poetry movement, which traces its roots to France in the early 19th century.
Such was his enthusiasm for the piece, Abu Madi wrote an accompaniment and declared Amara a talent to watch.
Her literary passions were further explored during her time at Dar Al Muallam Al Aliyah, a former college now known as the University of Baghdad.
While Amara studied to be an educator it was through meeting groups of compatriots and fellow future poets, including Badr Shaker Al-Sayyab, Nazik Al-Malaika and Abd al-Wahhab al-Bayati, that she dedicated her life to literature.
Through spirited debates and competition, this group of poets went on to lead Shi’r Al Hurr, an Arabic version of the freewheeling and conversational free verse poetry movement, which traces its roots to France in the early 19th century.
Celebrating the Iraqi dialect
The freedom found within the Shi’r Al Hurr went on to inform the boundless nature of Amara’s writing.
She was a lover of all facets of the Arabic language, with poetry and prose written in conversational, classical colloquial dialect.
However, it was the Iraqi folk genre of poetry she felt an affinity with the most.
She credited the form for allowing her to celebrate the dynamism of the Iraqi dialect and fostering a deeper connection with her audience.
