Studies in Contemporary Saudi Poetry

Studies in Contemporary Saudi Poetry
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Studies in Contemporary Saudi Poetry

Studies in Contemporary Saudi Poetry

The Jeddah Literature and Cultural Club recently published a new book, “In Poetry Fields: Studies in Contemporary Saudi Poetry” by Dr. Abdullah bin Abdul Rahman al-Haidari, professor of Literature and criticism at the Imam Mohammad ibn Saud Islamic University (IMSIU). The book is the 266th publication of the club.

The book includes four research published in three local and foreign journals: Arabic Science Journal (published by the Imam Mohammad ibn Saud Islamic University), Journal of the Faculty of Dar Al Uloom - Fayoum University, and the Sohag University Journal of Literature. The three studies explore phenomena in the contemporary Saudi poetry.

The first study, “Picture of Disability in Saudi Poetry: Study of Content and Form”, focuses on the link between creativity and disabilities in the Arabic literature.

The second research is entitled “Poetry in Face of Terrorism: Study of Samples of Saudi Poetry”.

The third research, “Inventions in Saudi Poetry: Astonishment, Familiarity, and Caution” focuses on three topics: the presence of female inventors in Saudi poetry, image of female inventors in Saudi poetry, and artistic characteristics and aesthetic styles in the poetry of female inventors.

The fourth research, “Echo of Modern Technology in Saudi Poetry”, was used by the author to discuss complaints about advancement, the start of using mobiles in the Kingdom, the internet’s debut in Saudi Arabia, the new media concept, and domination of cellphones. The research explored two main topics: technology in studies of Saudi researchers, and modern technologies in Saudi poems.

In his book, the author sought to use scientific research to shed light on the burdens of the local society, observe changes in people’s lives, and analyze samples of Saudi poetry that focused on major aspects that other creatives have overlooked.

The front cover features a painting by Artist Nasser bin Abdullah al-Moussa that expresses the content of the 206-page book, which is expected to be featured at the Jeddah Club’s pavilion at the Riyadh International Bookfair.

The author, Dr. Abdullah bin Abdul Rahman al-Haidari is specialized in Saudi literature, and already has over 20 books in literature and criticism including: “Biography in Saudi Literature”, “Hussein Sarhan as a Storyteller”, “Hussein Sarhan’s Prose Works, Biography in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia”, and “Conferences of Saudi Novelists.”



Magritte Painting Nets Auction Record of $121 Million

Rene Magritte's "L'empire des lumières" is on display during a press preview for Christie's Fall 20/21 Marquee Week in New York, November 8, 2024. (AFP)
Rene Magritte's "L'empire des lumières" is on display during a press preview for Christie's Fall 20/21 Marquee Week in New York, November 8, 2024. (AFP)
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Magritte Painting Nets Auction Record of $121 Million

Rene Magritte's "L'empire des lumières" is on display during a press preview for Christie's Fall 20/21 Marquee Week in New York, November 8, 2024. (AFP)
Rene Magritte's "L'empire des lumières" is on display during a press preview for Christie's Fall 20/21 Marquee Week in New York, November 8, 2024. (AFP)

A painting by Rene Magritte shattered an auction record for the surrealist artist on Tuesday, selling for more than $121 million at Christie's in New York.

The seminal 1954 painting had been valued at $95 million, and the previous record for a work by Magritte (1898-1967) was $79 million, set in 2022.

After a nearly 10-minute bidding war on Tuesday, "Empire of Light" ("L'Empire des lumieres") was sold for $121,160,000, "achieving a world-record price for the artist and for a surrealist work of art at auction", according to auction house Christie's.

The painting -- depicting a house at night, illuminated by a lamp post, while under a bright, blue sky -- is one of a series by the Belgian artist showing the interplay of shadow and light.

"Empire of Light" was part of the private collection of Mica Ertegun, an interior designer who fled communist Romania to settle in the United States where she became an influential figure in the arts world.

She died in late 2023 and was married to the late Ahmet Ertegun, the music magnate who founded the Atlantic Records label.

The sale of the Magritte painting was an expected highlight of this week's autumn sales season in New York, at a time when the art market has seen a slowdown since last year.

Christie's -- which is controlled by Artemis, the investment holding company owned by the Pinault family -- said sales totaled $2.1 billion in the first half of this year.

That is down for the second straight year, after a peak of $4.1 billion in 2022 as the world emerged from the coronavirus pandemic.

During the same Christie's auction on Tuesday, a celebrated 1964 painting of a gas station by 86-year-old Ed Ruscha, titled "Standard Station, Ten-Cent Western Being Torn in Half," sold for $68.26 million, setting a new auction record for the American pop artist.