Republic of Love

by Nizar

By far the most popular poet of the Arab World, popular in the true sense of the word. The late Nizar Kabbani's selected poems appear here in English for the first time. So popular is he that one of his poems is the greatest love song in the Arab world, recorded by the legendary Egyptian singer Um Khaslsoum and played on virtually every taxi's radio across the Middle East.

Genres: Poetry

236 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 15, 2002

Reviews

[Nick Parkinson · Rating 3 out of 5]

تمثل "جمهورية العشق" أول كتاب قرأه باللغة العربية. كتبه الشاعر المصري الشهير نزار قباني. على الرغم من أن غالبية القصائد تدور حول الحب، إلا أن بعض القصائد سياسية. في كل صفحة من صفحات الكتاب، كانت القصيدة باللغة العربية وترجمت إلى الإنجليزية. الترجمة لم تكن حرفية. على الرغم من صعوبات الفهم، استمتعت بمعظم القصائد. كانت المفضلة منهل لي هي تلك التي انتقد فيها المجتمع من خلال استعارة العشاق المتناحرين. آمل أن أقرأ هذا العمل مرة أخرى في المستقبل عندما تكون لغتي العربية أفضل.

[Pavlogreen]

El libro es la edición bilingüe de El libro del amor en la editorial Hyperión.

Primera vez leyendo a Qabbani y de mis primeras aproximaciones a la vasta y siempre rica poesía árabe. En términos generales son poemas correctos, sin sobresaltos, aunque algunos caen en un patetismo en exceso. Por suerte, se ve compensado con algunos poemas realmente buenos y de una fuerza lírica y sentimental realmente grande. Dejo por aquí el que más me ha gustado:

Lluevo en tus ojos cual nube
llevando en mis maletas
un tesoro de tristezas y pesares,
mil arroyos
y un millón de bosques.
Llevando bajo el abrigo
la historia y el alfabeto.

[Natalie Cannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

After reading (and being delighted by) ARABIAN LOVE POEMS, I was very excited to read REPUBLIC OF LOVE and I was not disappointed. Kabbani's poems are an honest delight, at once addressed to a specific reader and a universal audience. I'm so, so happy to have discovered this poet. It's a high honor just to read his work in English, knowing how divided he was about having his works translated.

Unlike with ARABIAN LOVE POEMS, this book featured longer poetic works, and the selections themselves seem more fiery and bombast. There were several that had a more political tone about Arab society, and Kabbani took on the female voice to stinging , sure effect. The translators did a very earnest job, even going so far as printing Kabbani's own thoughts on translating at the end of the book. The original poems in Arabic are present too, and it was obvious all parties did their best to convey the author's original poetic meaning. Overall, I loved it and definitely recommend it to any and all!

[nadia (taylor’s version) · Rating 5 out of 5]

absolute work of art.

[Hisham · Rating 5 out of 5]

the poems were great sad I can't read Arabic but this guy really loves breasts couldn't go a single poem without mentioning them It was kinda funny and a bit random at moments

[David Child · Rating 5 out of 5]

The poetry and prose of a man with extraordinary intuition, insight and vision; about love, mad love, women, women in Arab cultures and history... as never talked about by any other nor with such passion described in powerful and amazing imagery.
...shokran Leila; may I remember you forever.

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful, thought-provoking poems - only regret is my inability to read them in their original Arabic.

[meera · Rating 4 out of 5]

never felt more grateful to understand arabic, i loved both the original poems and their translations nearly just as much