Do poems still have a special place in the hearts of Arab readers?
Yes, good poetry certainly plays an extremely important role in Arab literary production. One must bear in mind great poets such as the Tunisian Abu Qasim al-Shabbi at the start of the 21st Century, or the great 20th Century poets such as Mahmud Darwis (Palestine), Adonis (Syria), Nizar Qabbani (Syria) and Abd al-Wahhab al-Bayyati (Iraq), to mention only a few. If one visits any Arab country one understands to what extent poetry is deeply rooted in the national consciousness, from the taxi driver reciting the verses of his favourite poet to crowded stadiums listening to readings of great poets, events that are unimaginable in Europe. I will never forget the thousands of Syrians who, during the Nineties, rushed to an unbelievably overcrowded stadium to see and listen to the great Palestinian poet Mahmud Darwish. Televised poetry competitions instead seem like magniloquence circuses. One must not confuse great Arab poetry and competitions for hopeful poets although there may be a new al-
