Moroccan, Iraqi poets share prize

Moroccan and Iraqi respectively Yassine Adnane and Ali Shallah were extended the Buland Al hadari Prize for Arab Young Poets.

The prize was awarded to the two poets on the fringes of the 25th international cultural Festival of Asilah, on the Moroccan Atlantic coast.

The two poets were prized among 90 candidates from several Arab states and representing different poetic trends.

The Jury praised Adnane and Shallah's authentic writing, modernity of expression, and rich contribution.

The Prize is named after Buland Al-Haidari, a renowned Iraqi poet, who gained fame in the Arab world for his endeavors to modernize Arab poetry. Buland Al-Haidari was an active contributor to the Assilah Festival.

The prize is open to works of great artistic value, wherein contribution can open new horizons and assert the importance of poetry in daily life.

Created in 1997, the Prize for Young Arab Poets is one of three merit prizes awarded by the Forum of Asilah: the prize of Tchikaya Utamsi for African poetry, and the Mohamed Zafzaf Prize for Arab novel.

Born in Safe in 1970, Yassine Adnane, a professor of English, published three collections of poems and several literary studies.

Native of Babylon (Iraq) in 1965, Ali Shallah is an official of the Arab-Suisse cultural Centre of Zurich. He put out a series of critical books and poems collections.