The Department of Culture and Tourism - Abu Dhabi’s online poetry database to highlight major milestones of Al-Mutanabbi’s life, adding several of his best works to its audio archive

Abu Dhabi, 24 September 2020: Poetry Encyclopedia, the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi’s publicly-accessible online poetry database, is marking the 1055 anniversary of the death of celebrated Abbasid-era wordsmith Abu Al-Tayyib Al-Mutanabbi with the release of the audio version of his book Worried as if the Wind is Below Me. 

Al-Mutanabbi is one of the most well-known and revered poets of the Arab world, a rare talent whose colourful and nomadic life saw him settle in various ancient centres around the region. Many of his poems set the standard for wisdom and depth of meaning and in doing so earned him a reputation the likes of which have been enjoyed by few others throughout history, his oeuvre remaining popular with audiences throughout the ages and into the present day.

“Al-Mutanabbi is without a doubt one of our greatest Arab poets, and one of the most proficient in the Arabic language. He had a wonderful and unique ability to harness its grammar and vocabulary to formulate poetic creations that have been, and still are, a source of inspiration for poets and writers of all ages,” said HE Abdulla Majid Al Ali, Executive Director of Dar Al Kutub Sector at the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi. “He is a rare literary jewel, and we are very pleased to announce the release of audiobook Worried as if the Wind is Below Me, in addition to some of his  most prominent works to the archive of audio works on the Poetry Encyclopedia database.”
 
Worried as if the Wind is Below Me, directed by Ziad Abdullah, chronicles the life of Al-Mutanabbi and all the events, travels and conflicts he witnessed, as told by a woman who greatly admired him. In harmony with his poetry, the voices of Dr. Ali bin Tamim, Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Center for the Arabic Language, alongside actors Abdel-Majid Majzoub and Amani Al-Hakim, and singer Abeer Nehme, bring to life the glorious prose.