After celebrating the release of “Al Babtain Dictionary of Arab Poets in the Era of States and Emirates”, Kuwait’s Abdulaziz Saud Al Babtain Cultural Foundation is preparing to publish the fourth part of the “Babtain Dictionary of Arabic Poetry throughout Eras” project.
The “Babtain Dictionary of Abbasid Poets” covers a period of five centuries (132-656 Hegira/ 749-1258 AD) based on around 5,000 sources, references, manuscripts, and prints including books, dissertations, scientific research, and literary articles.
The dictionary features the names, biographies, and poems of 12,934 poets who lived that prospering period of our literary history. It is expected to be released in mid-2024.
The foundation focused on preserving and documenting the legacy of Arabic poetry, sees the new project as a top priority, and grants it huge potentials on all levels, to provide the Arabic library with the first ever complete documentation of the Arabic poetry movement starting with the first recorded Arabic poetry moment in the pre-Islam period.
“Al Babtain Foundation” launched the projects of Arab Poets Dictionaries in 1991. At the time, its president considered composing a dictionary about living Arab poets, and the first volume, dubbed ‘Al Babtain Dictionary of Contemporary Arab Poets’ was released in 1995, featuring the poets who lived from 1318 Hegira/1900 AD until our day.
The “Al Babtain Dictionary of Contemporary Arab Poets” is renewable in its nature and aim, as it regularly enlists the poets that emerge on the literary scene in its successive editions. Its second edition was released in 2002, and the third (nine volumes/6,891 pages) in 2014. The dictionary which is composed by 171 professor and researchers, features 2,512 poets so far, and its fourth edition is under development and expected to be released soon.
The work on “Al Babtain Dictionary of Contemporary Arab Poets in 19th, 20th Centuries”, which features poets who lived from 1214-1420 Hegira/ 1800-2000 AD, started in 1997. It was released in 2008, in 25 volumes composed of 18,357 pages, and saw the participation of 615 professors, researchers, and technicians. The dictionary records the poems, biographies, and sources of 9,518 poets.
“Al Babtain Dictionary of Arab Poets in the Era of States and Emirates”, whose composition started in 2008 and took 11 years, showcases the poets who lived between 656-1215 Hegira/1258-1800 AD, and was released in 2019. Compiled by 281 professors and researchers, the 25-volume dictionary includes 16,412 pages and documents 9,462 poets from that era.
Poet Abdulaziz Saud Al Babtain says he’s determined to complete this project aimed at documenting all the paths and phases of Arabic poetry.
