One bird is enough in order for the sky not to fall : poetry as witness in Chris Abani's Kalakuta Republic and Faraj Bayraqdar’s Mirrors of Absence
Other Title(s)
طائر واحد يكفى لكي لا تسقط السماء : الشعر كشاهد على الأحداث في "جمهورية كالكتا" لكريس قباني و "مرايا الغياب" لفرج بيرقدار
Author
Source
Journal of Scientific Research in Arts
Issue
Vol. 2017, Issue 18 (31 Dec. 2017)21 p.
Publisher
Ain Shams University Faculty of Women for Arts Science and Education
Publication Date
2017-12-31
Country of Publication
Egypt
No. of Pages
21
Main Subjects
Abstract EN
"Poetry of witness" is a coherent tradition in twentieth-century poetry.
It is an act against oblivion and forgetfulness, willing to speak the truth to power.
"Poetry of witness" is an ethical and political act in the face of "extremity".
This paper seeks to investigate the experience of imprisonment in Chris Abani's Kalakuta Republic (2007) and Faraj Bayraqdar‘s Mirrors of Absence (2007).
Both poets endured conditions of historical and social "extremity" during the twentieth century through political persecution, imprisonment, torture, and exile.
Their works are poetic witnesses to the traumatic experiences in which they lived, and serve as counter discourse against the human rights violations committed by their regimes.
The works will be read within the framework of "witness literature".
The paper seeks to answer the following questions: How did these writers challenge the "history" written by official regimes? How did they expose what goes on inside the cells and the "torture chambers" of the political prisons in Syria and Nigeria? The prison poems chosen for analysis provide different insights into the function of poetry as testimony.
The paper attempts to highlight these two writers‘ struggle to retain dignity and sanity in a context that forces them either to conform or resist
American Psychological Association (APA)
Radwi, Ramadan Mahmud. 2017. One bird is enough in order for the sky not to fall : poetry as witness in Chris Abani's Kalakuta Republic and Faraj Bayraqdar’s Mirrors of Absence. Journal of Scientific Research in Arts،Vol. 2017, no. 18.
https://search.emarefa.net/detail/BIM-881777
Modern Language Association (MLA)
Radwi, Ramadan Mahmud. One bird is enough in order for the sky not to fall : poetry as witness in Chris Abani's Kalakuta Republic and Faraj Bayraqdar’s Mirrors of Absence. Journal of Scientific Research in Arts No. 18 (2017).
https://search.emarefa.net/detail/BIM-881777
American Medical Association (AMA)
Radwi, Ramadan Mahmud. One bird is enough in order for the sky not to fall : poetry as witness in Chris Abani's Kalakuta Republic and Faraj Bayraqdar’s Mirrors of Absence. Journal of Scientific Research in Arts. 2017. Vol. 2017, no. 18.
https://search.emarefa.net/detail/BIM-881777
Data Type
Journal Articles
Language
English
Notes
Includes margin notes.
Record ID
BIM-881777