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portrait of Hazim Al-Temimi

Hazim Al-Temimi

Hazim Al-Temimi was born in 1969 in Nasseryya in southern Iraq, home to the ancient Sumerian civilisation. He currently lives in Sharjah, Abu Dhabi, in the United Arab Emirates.

Hazim obtained his MA in Arabic Language from Bagdad University, Faculty of Literature in 1994. He is a member of Iraqi Union of Writers.

A very popular poet, especially for his dynamic poetry readings, he has participated in numerous poetry festivals both inside Iraq and also in Oman, Sudan, Lebanon and Syria.

His first poetry collection, What the Hoopoe Says, was published in 2007. He has two further collections awaiting publication: Letters Like Rain and Dust and the Aquamarine City.

Hazim gained a great deal of attention when he participated in the biggest competition in the Arab world, Prince of Poets, during its inaugural season in 2007. This is a poetry competition, something along the lines of The X Factor, which attracts millions of viewers throughout the Arabic-speaking region. The poetry submitted is written in traditional style, with strict metre and rhyme, in contradistinction to much contemporary Arabic poetry, written in 'free verse' and influenced by Modernism, such as the other Arabic-language poets on the PTC website.

His translator, Worod Musawi, says: 'Hazim's poetry is very sharp and unique, full of metaphors. He has an especially keen awareness of Iraqi tradition, history and nature, and it is these qualities which make his poetry special and stunning.'

Poems by Hazim Al-Temimi