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Outlook: The epic Arabic poem that was born in a stable

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Adnan Al-Sayegh holding the book 'Wait for me under the Statue of Liberty'

16/12/2020 GMT

The epic Arabic poem that was born in a stable

BBC World Service - Outlook, The epic Arabic poem that was born in a stable

Iraqi poet Adnan Al-Sayegh began writing Uruk's Anthem while imprisoned in a stable

Uruk's Anthem is one of the longest poems in Arabic history. It took 12 years to write and brought its author Adnan Al-Sayegh international acclaim and a place on a death list.

Iraqi poet Adnan Al-Sayegh was confined to a deserted stable for having banned books in his possession, while serving as a conscript in the Iraqi army during the Iran-Iraq war of the 1980s. It was in these squalid conditions that he began writing a poem that would become one of the longest in Arabic history. It's called Uruk's Anthem and is over 500 pages long and took 12 years to write. The poem not only brought Adnan international recognition, but also put his life in danger, forcing him to flee his homeland in 1993. Now, for the first time, substantial extracts from Uruk's Anthem have been published jointly in English and Arabic - the book is called Let Me Tell You What I Saw and was co-written and translated by Jenny Lewis.  

Mike Pelley from California has made it his mission to scuba dive in treacherous rivers to save precious objects that have been lost there. He’s so enthusiastic about his marine missions he’s given himself another name - Merman Mike. Although he doesn't get paid he says his reward is seeing the smiles on people's faces when they're reunited with a long-lost treasure from their past. He's been telling Outlook's Saskia Edwards all about it. 

Tim Connaghan also brings smiles to people's faces. He's America's full-time national Santa Claus. Known as Santa Tim he's been a Santa Claus impersonator since 1970 and over the years has appeared in hundreds of TV commercials and magazine adverts. He also runs the International University of Santa Claus where you can get a PhD in something called 'Clausology' and learn how to answer those tricky questions from kids. He spoke to Outlook's Colm Flynn in 2017.

Any comments please email us on outlook@bbc.com


Picture: Adnan Al-Sayegh holding the book Wait for me under the Statue of Liberty
Credit:  Adnan Al-Sayegh

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