In a unique global poetic project, Emirati writer and poet Adel Khozam, a pioneer of literary modernism in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the Arabian Gulf, has launched a global poetic epic titled Manseerah.
The collective work was co-authored by 86 poets from over 50 countries, including Pakistan, offering a poetic reflection on what can be described as the “human odyssey”.
The project, a first of its kind and scale in the history of global poetry, aims to present a universal poetic text that expresses the contemporary human experience — its concerns, hopes, and dreams — amid the challenges of the 21st century.
The Arabic edition has been released by Dar Altakween, with its new branch in Sharjah, UAE, and Khozam has chosen the Sharjah International Book Fair 2024 as the platform to launch this ambitious project, in recognition of this global cultural institution.
Khozam is currently working on releasing the book in major world languages, with English, Spanish, Chinese, and Bengali versions already in preparation.
The Emirati writer is recognised as one of the most prominent poets from the Arabian Gulf on the global stage. He has published over 20 works, spanning poetry, novels, philosophy, studies, and translations.
Throughout his literary career, he has won numerous awards from poetry festivals in India, China, the United States, Europe, and Russia. Notably, he launched the anthology World Poetry Tree, featuring contributions from over 400 poets across 106 countries, during the UAE’s hosting of Expo Dubai 2020.
The voice of world poets
In presenting the book, Khozam said that joint authorship has always been a field of experimentation for many poets throughout history. Indeed, numerous poets have authored and expanded upon many ancient epics across different eras.
This reflects that, while some may consider literature to be a personal endeavor, grand epics often take on a collective nature, even if attributed to a single poet.
In his introduction, Khozam notes that this epic presents a new poetic form that embodies an infinite variety of poetic, narrative, and stylistic techniques, including fragments, short sections, direct expository passages, and symbolic allusions.
Together, these elements create a unique and innovative textual and rhetorical structure. At the same time, the epic demonstrates the boundless power of language to convey ideas in forms that, though sometimes oppositional, can merge artistically to create a fresh, exploratory text within literary practice.
Most notably, this endeavour draws from languages worldwide, producing a universal poetic work capable of expressing the essence of today’s human experience.
Global and Arab presence
The Manseerah epic was co-authored by a distinguished group of renowned poets from around the world. These include:
1. Paolo Ruffilli – Italy
2. Germain Droogenbroodt – Belgium
3. Saif al-Rahbi – Oman
4. Álvaro Maio – Portugal
5. Chrys Salt – UK
6. Conceição Lima – São Tomé and Príncipe
7. Shurouk Hammoud – Syria
8. Eugenia Sánchez Nieto – Colombia
9. Keamogetsi Joseph Molapong – Namibia
10. Zakia El Marmouke – Morocco
11. Irma Kurti – Albania
12. Beppe Costa – Italy
13. Abdukakhor Kosim – Tajikistan
14. Jüri Talvet – Estonia
15. Zhang Zhi – China
16. Nahid Kabiri – Iran
17. María Chapp – Argentina
18. Ayo Ayoola-Amale – Nigeria
19. Shirani Rajapakse – Sri Lanka
20. Tarek Eltayeb – Sudan
21. Jalal Zangabady – Iraqi Kurdistan
22. Moëz Majed – Tunisia
23. Les Wicks – Australia
24. Taeko Uemura – Japan
25. Kwazi Ndlangisa – South Africa
26. Zahir Al Ghafri – Oman
27. Poul Lynggaard Damgaard – Denmark
28. Sue Zhu – New Zealand
29. Hamid Larbi – Algeria/France
30. Renato Sandoval Bacigalupo – Peru
31. Tendo Taijin – Japan
32. Francis Kurkievicz – Brazil
33. Maria Grech Ganado – Malta
34. Saad Al-Dousari – Saudi Arabia
35. Lee Kuei-shien – Taiwan
36. Bassam Jwohur – Yemen
37. Wansoo Kim – South Korea
38. Kama Sywor Kamanda – Congo
39. Ghassan Zaqtan – Palestine
40. Dimitris P. Kraniotis- Greece
41. Mahmoud Quorani – Egypt
42. Siamir Marulafau – Indonesia
43. Catherine Graham – Canada
44. Yolanda Felicita Rodríguez Toledo – Cuba
45. Hamdi Meça – Albania
46. Rahim Karim – Kyrgyzstan
47. Jordi Valls – Spain
48. Anna Cates – United States
49. Muhsin Al-Ramli – Iraq
50. Stoianka Boianova – Bulgaria
51. Tabassum Tahmina Shagufta Hussein – Bangladesh
52. Rosabelle Illes – Aruba
53. Dr. Aprilia Zank – Germany
54. Fernando Rendón – Colombia
55. Aminur Rahman – Bangladesh
56. Yousef Abou Louz – Jordan
57. Agnes Meadows – United Kingdom
58. Khulood Al Mualla – UAE
59. Khalid Albudoor – UAE
60. Jane Hirshfield – United States
61. Fiona Sampson – United Kingdom
62. Hannie Rouweler – Netherlands
63. Azam Abidov – Uzbekistan
64. Layla Al Sayed – Bahrain
65. Thor Stefánsson – Iceland
66. Anne Casey – Ireland
67. George Wallace – United States
68. Dr. Naila Hina – Pakistan
69. Fazil Jamili – Pakistan
70. Eliza Segiet – Poland
71. Mai Văn Phấn – Vietnam
72. Yusuf Kadel – Mauritius
73. Keshab Sigdel – Nepal
74. Dr. Fowziyah AbuKhalid – Saudi Arabia
75. Vadim Terekhin – Russia
76. Rati Saxena – India
77. Naida Mujkic – Bosnia and Herzegovina
78. Anna Keiko – China
79. Mariko Sumikura – Japan
80. Francis Combes – France
81. Nurduran Duman – Turkey
82. Ashraf Aboul-Yazid – Egypt
83. Adamou IDE – Niger
84. Alvinus Melius – Saint Lucia
85. Cao Shui – China
86. Nada Ounsi El Hage – Lebanon
