Omar Abu Risha Biography | Poet

Omar Abu Risha is one of the most important poets of the twentieth century. He still remains one of the most important Arab poets of today, even decades after his death. He died on June 14th in the year 1990 and was born in 1910 in Manbij, Syria. He was a man of some professional distinction even while he was alive, in sharp contrast to the poets who are only known after they have passed away. He was a member of the Science Academy since 1948, and his most famous volumes of poetry were published in his lifetime rather than published retroactively.

Achievements of Omar Abu Risha

Omar Abu Risha received professional distinctions in his lifetime. After working at the Book Authority in Aleppo, Omar Abu Risha joined the Science Academy in 1948. Some artists are extremely prolific and they are known for multiple accomplishments. People may debate the relative merits of their different works. Other artists become famous for very specific works, and they will always leave their audience members wanting more in one way or another. Omar Abu Risha belongs in the latter category.

He has one collection of poetry attributed to him, and it was published fairly late in his life in the year 1971. People who want to read the majority of the poetry of Omar Abu Risha could definitely start there. There should still be some other small volumes of poetry for them to read, as well as some important poetic dramas. However, each and every one of the poems that Omar Abu Risha created was a prize and cannot be taken for granted, since he was an artist for whom quality was more important than quantity.

Education

Omar Abu Risha studied at the American University in Beirut. In 1930, he received his Bachelor's degree in sciences from there. His primary education was in Aleppo. His father subsequently sent him to the United Kingdom in the hope that he would become interested in the textile industry and carve out a successful career in that field. This approach backfired, since Omar Abu Risha became interested in poetry and literature in the United Kingdom instead, and managed to subsequently begin his career as a poet.

Family

Omar Abu Risha had a degree of conflict with his father. Like many people in creative professions, he was met with skepticism as to whether or not he could succeed in a creative field. Like many other creative people, Omar Abu Risha was able to convince his father otherwise. In addition to being a famous poet, he was also a famous diplomat to Brazil.

The Legacy of Omar Abu Risha

Comparatively few poets work in the Arabic language, which has helped make the poetry of Omar Abu Risha stand out in the broader world of poets. He had a command of the Arabic language that is still unrivaled today. Omar Abu Risha's poetry is partly recognized for the fact that it has very few redundant words and very few inaccurate words. His poems don't have a single syllable out of place, and they reflect a certain degree of meticulous exactitude.

Twentieth century poetry in general was a time in which a lot of people experimented with the form to such a strong degree that they ended up deconstructing the very foundations of poetry. Many of the poems written from this time period strongly lack structure, making them feel very shapeless and making it look as if very little technical skill went into their creation. Omar Abu Risha is a poet who managed to stand above and beyond all of that. His poetry is going to be much more accessible to people today who are outside the poetry world as well, since plenty of modern people have no use for the shapeless poems of the twentieth century, which still often reflects how modern poetry is written.

For Omar Abu Risha, writing poetry was at least partly political. He loved his Arab nation and wished that it was as glorious as it could be, and he was interested in the legacy and history of his people greatly. In a world that was crushed under Western imperialism at the time, the fact that the Arab people had such potent voices was more important than ever. Decades later, this is still an important issue, and Omar Abu Risha is still a poet of cultural significance to people who have a similar background.