Mythical Poetics in the Works of Badr Shakir Al-Sayyab

Abstract

The poetic reactualization of the myth of Tammuz represents the paradigm of modern Arabic poetry. One of the most prominent representatives of the Tammuzi poets was the well-known Iraqi poet, Badr Shakir al-Sayyab. His poetry is abundant with references to various myths from the Middle East. Along with the myths of ancient Sumerian, Acadian and Phoenician cultures, al-Sayyab often refers to sacred books of Christianity and Islam. He thus developed a complex mythopoetics of the modern Arabic world. At the core of this mythopoetics is the narrative of Tammuz. Inspired by T. S. Eliot, this poet used a mythological podium to illuminate the fall of a modern Arabic man, but also the hope for a spiritual revolution.