The Steed, the Night and the Desert

NYUAD Institute

Why do many consider al-Mutannabi the first Arab poet? Why is his poetry still pulsing with life, modernity, uniqueness, and Arabness as if it was written in the recent past? This conversation discusses Dr. Ali bin Tamim's personal experience with al-Mutannabi and the reasons behind his interest of al-Mutannabi's poetry. This special talk includes readings of al-Mutannabi’s poetry and distribution of some publications from the Abu Dhabi Center for the Arabic Language. Simultaneous English Interpretation will be provided. Speaker H.E Dr. Ali Bin Tamim, Chairman of Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Center In Conversation with Bilal Orfali, Sheikh Zayed Professor for Arabic and Islamic Studies, American University of Beirut; Senior Research Fellow, Library of Arabic Literature (LAL)