In this brilliant work, ʻAbdulwāḥid Lu’lu’a translates and introduces eighty poems from Buland Al-Ḥaidari, a pioneer of modern Arabic poetry. Often regarded as a key figure alongside Nāzik al-Malā'ika, Badre Shākir Al-Sayyāb, and ‘Abdulwahhāb Al-Bayyāti, Al-Ḥaidari significantly influenced the evolution of twentieth-century Arabic poetry, particularly through his embrace of the Arabic “free verse” form, moving away from traditional two-hemistich verses. While a few of his poems have been translated into English, this is the first comprehensive translation of his work. Lu’lu’a’s translation offers English-speaking readers access to Al-Ḥaidari’s rich poetic corpus. His insightful introduction provides context about Al-Ḥaidari’s life and situates his contributions within modern Arabic poetry. The translated poems reveal the depth of Al-Ḥaidari’s imagination and the evolution of his style, from the youthful romanticism of his first collection, Clay Throb (1946), to the detached pessimism in Songs of the Dead City (1951). The selections also feature later works such as Steps in Exile (1965), The Journey of Yellow Letters (1968), and Songs of the Tired Guard (1977), collectively painting a vivid picture of Baghdad's literary atmosphere from the mid-1940s to the late twentieth century.
