Written in spring 1971, this poem depicts the desolation of New York City as emblematic of empire. Adonis wrote the poem after a visit to the United States, during which he participated in an International Poetry Forum. Unlike his poem… Read More ›
Ali Ahmad Sa‘id
Analysis of Adonis’s Desert
The Desert includes selections from the poetic diary of Adonis during the Israeli invasion of Lebanon in June 1982 and the siege of Beirut. The poem is dated “June 4, 1982–Jan. 1, 1983.” It is made up of 35 numbered… Read More ›