"The Dissident Student"
by Fawzi Karim
Translated by Saadi Simawe and Melissa Brown
Poetry International 10
Iraqi Poetry Today

Fawzi Karim

Fawzi Karim was born in Baghdad in 1945. In 1968 he graduated from the University of Baghdad and published his first poetry book Haith Tebda' al-Ashia'a (Where Things Begin). He migrated to Beirut in 1969, where he published his second collection Arfa'au Ydi Ihtijajan (I Raise My Hand in Protest). He returned to Baghdad and published his third collection Junun min al-Hajar (Madness of Stone), and two books of nonfiction, one on exile and the other on the Iraqi author, Admon Sabri. In 1978, he migrated to London where he still lives. In exile, he published three more books of poetry. His Selected Poems was published in 1995 in Cairo. In 2000 his Complete Poetry was published in Damascus by Dar al-Mada. In addition to his regular writing for newspapers on classical music and on painting, he edits his own quarterly al-lahdha al-Shi'iria (Poetic Moment).

Saadi Simawe:

Saadi Simawe is Associate Professor of English and current Chair of the English Department at Grinnell College. He teaches African American literature and literary theory. In addition to many articles in Arabic and English, he published a novel in Arabic entitled Al-Khuruj min al-Qumqum (London, 1999), collaborated with Ellen Doré Watson in translating Palestinian poetry for MPT No. 14, 1988, edited the Arab Studies Quarterly special issue on Modern Iraqi Literature (No. 19, 1997) and edited Black Orpheus: Music in African American Fiction from the Harlem Renaissance to Toni Morrison (2002).

Melissa Brown:

Melissa Brown holds an M.F.A. in poetry and a Ph.D. in English, both from the University of Iowa. Brown has published poetry, translations, poetry reviews, and literary criticism. She is a writer and editor at Buckle Down Publishing, an Iowa City based publisher of educational materials.

About Poetry International:

An annual poetry journal. In each issue you'll find: New poems from emerging and well established poets. Translations from around the world translated into English. Our translators have included the late John Frederick Nims, W.S. Merwin, Robert Bly, Lisa Katz, Mark Weiss and Martha Collins. A feature section showcasing the poetry of one nation, such as Russia, Israel, Vietnam, and Cuba or the work of a single poet such as William Matthews. Book reviews offering commentary on poetry anthologies, books by individual poets, and poetic criticism. Art from around the world.

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