Al Mutanabbi Voice Of The Abbasid Poetic Ideal

This exhaustive and yet enthralling study considers the life and work of alMutanabbi 915965 often regarded as the greatest of the classical Arab poets. A revolutionary at heart and often imprisoned or forced into exile throughout his tumultuous life alMutanabbi wrote both controversial satires and when employed by one of his many patrons laudatory panegyrics. Employing an ornate style and use of the ode alMutanabbi was one of the first to successfully move away from the traditionally rigid form of Arabic verse the ‘qasida’.