Jamal Jumá
Encyclopedia
Jamal Jumá, An Iraqi poet and researcher, born in Baghdad
, and since 1984 lived in Denmark. Has Bachelor of Arts in Arabic Literature from University of Basrah
and Cand.mag. in Semitic Philology from the University of Copenhagen
.
He has published several collections of poetry, including Book of the Book (1990), A Handshake in the Dark
(1995), and Diary of the Sleepwalker (1998). His work has been translated to several languages.
He has also edited and published numerous manuscripts of Erotica, including The Perfumed Garden
, A Promenade of the Hearts
, and The Forbidden Texts. This infuriated some religious and political establishments around the Arab World, resulting in the confiscation and banning of these books in all Arab countries.
Jamal Jumá achieved his first and major cultural breakthrough
internationally when famous British composer Michael Nyman
set to music a
good number of poems from his collection A Handshake in the Dark
. The
choral work was commissioned by the BBC
and premiered by the BBC Symphony Chorus
and BBC Symphony Orchestra
on 8 March 2007 at the Barbican Hall, London, with John
Storgards as conductor.
Baghdad
Baghdad is the capital of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Governorate. The population of Baghdad in 2011 is approximately 7,216,040...
, and since 1984 lived in Denmark. Has Bachelor of Arts in Arabic Literature from University of Basrah
University of Basrah
The University of Basrah is situated in the city of Basra, Iraq. For historic reasons the final -h is retained on Basrah in the name of the university....
and Cand.mag. in Semitic Philology from the University of Copenhagen
University of Copenhagen
The University of Copenhagen is the oldest and largest university and research institution in Denmark. Founded in 1479, it has more than 37,000 students, the majority of whom are female , and more than 7,000 employees. The university has several campuses located in and around Copenhagen, with the...
.
He has published several collections of poetry, including Book of the Book (1990), A Handshake in the Dark
A Handshake in the Dark
A Handshake in the Dark is an anti-war choral piece by Michael Nyman, based on texts by the Iraqi poet Jamal Jumá, an exiled poet living in Denmark, and constitutes a series of imaginary letters to his younger brother, a conscript captured by the Americans and whose whereabouts were long unknown....
(1995), and Diary of the Sleepwalker (1998). His work has been translated to several languages.
He has also edited and published numerous manuscripts of Erotica, including The Perfumed Garden
The Perfumed Garden
The Perfumed Garden of Sensual Delight by Muhammad ibn Muhammad al-Nafzawi is a fifteenth-century Arabic sex manual and work of erotic literature....
, A Promenade of the Hearts
A Promenade of the Hearts
A Promenade of the Hearts is a collection of stories, anecdotes, and poems from the Arab Middle Ages on homosexual and lesbian themes. Ahmad al-Tifashi, the compiler , was born in Tiffech now in Algeria and studied in Tunisia, Egypt and Damascus. His interests included law, natural science,...
, and The Forbidden Texts. This infuriated some religious and political establishments around the Arab World, resulting in the confiscation and banning of these books in all Arab countries.
Jamal Jumá achieved his first and major cultural breakthrough
internationally when famous British composer Michael Nyman
Michael Nyman
Michael Laurence Nyman, CBE is an English composer of minimalist music, pianist, librettist and musicologist, known for the many film scores he wrote during his lengthy collaboration with the filmmaker Peter Greenaway, and his multi-platinum soundtrack album to Jane Campion's The Piano...
set to music a
good number of poems from his collection A Handshake in the Dark
A Handshake in the Dark
A Handshake in the Dark is an anti-war choral piece by Michael Nyman, based on texts by the Iraqi poet Jamal Jumá, an exiled poet living in Denmark, and constitutes a series of imaginary letters to his younger brother, a conscript captured by the Americans and whose whereabouts were long unknown....
. The
choral work was commissioned by the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
and premiered by the BBC Symphony Chorus
BBC Symphony Chorus
The BBC Symphony Chorus is a British amateur chorus based in London. It is the dedicated chorus for the BBC Symphony Orchestra, though it performs with other national and international orchestras....
and BBC Symphony Orchestra
BBC Symphony Orchestra
The BBC Symphony Orchestra is the principal broadcast orchestra of the British Broadcasting Corporation and one of the leading orchestras in Britain.-History:...
on 8 March 2007 at the Barbican Hall, London, with John
Storgards as conductor.
Books and anthologies
Articles
- Rafed Khashan: Diary of Sleepwalker
- Nahrain Al-Mousawi: Iraqi Memory in Three Poems
- The Sunday Times: How a family trauma inspired an Iraqi poet
- Michael Nyman: A Handshake in the Dark
- Amir Taheri: An Iraqi Poet Finds a New Language, Amir Taheri