Nizar Qabbani

Qabbani first got married to one of his cousins named Zahra Aqbiq. The couple had two children, a son named Tawfiq and a daughter called Hadba.

This poet got married for the second time in 1973 to a woman named Balqis al-Rawi. He had encountered her at a poetry concert in Baghdad. However, in 1981, she became the victim of a bombardment during the ‘Lebanese Civil War’ in Beirut and lost her life.

The poet was shattered after the death of his second wife and he moved out of Beirut. He then travelled to places like Paris and Geneva and finally settled in London.

Nizar Qabbani was born on 21st March 1923, in Damascus, Syria, in a mercantile family. His father Tawfiq Qabbani was the owner of a chocolate factory, and the Arabian writer Abū Khalīl Qabbānī was his great uncle.

He had five siblings, including sisters Haifa and Wisal, as well as brothers Rashid, Sabah and Mu’taz.

During the period 1930-41, he attended the ‘National Scientific College School’ which was owned by Ahmad Munif al-Aidi, a friend of his father.

He then moved to the ‘Damascus University’ which was previously known as ‘Syrian University’ to pursue his studies in law. He started writing poetry during his time here, and in 1944 he published his first compilation of poems titled ‘The Brunette Told Me’.

The content of these poems were controversial to the Damascus society. However, these poems were approved by the Education Minister Munir al-Ajlani, who was also an acquaintance of his father, and supported Qabbani. This minister also helped Nizar by writing the preface to his collection of poems.

After completing his L.L.B. from ‘Damascus University’ in 1945, he served at the Foreign Ministry of Syria as an Ambassador to cities such as Cairo, Istanbul, Madrid, and London.

During the period 1948-50, he penned three critically acclaimed works of Arabic literature. Qabbani started with the poem ‘Childhood of a Breast’ and followed it with two others, namely ‘Samba’ and ‘You Are Mine’.

His collection named ‘Poems by Nizar Qabbani’ was published in 1956, and it is considered to be one of most significant works by the famous poet.

In 1959, he was appointed as the Vice-secretary of the Chinese embassies United Arab Republic (UAR).

During the 1960s, Nizar came up with three poems, namely ‘My Beloved’, ‘Drawing with Words’ and ‘Diary of an Indifferent Woman’.

His sister had committed suicide since her attempt to defy the traditional obligation of marrying against her will failed. This incident had a deep impact on young Qabbani, and is said to be the reason behind the feminist influence in his poems.

His 1956 released work ‘Poems by Nizar Qabbani’ has been regarded as one of his finest literary works. These poems advocate and respect a women’s point of view and also speak against hollow male prejudices.