HONOUR: Sahitya Akademi president M. Mukundan presents a memento to Arabic poet Shihab Ghanem at Kerala Sahitya Akademi in Thrissur on Friday. —

Thrissur: Nobel Prize for Literature has eluded Arabic poetry owing to lack of good translations, Arabic poet Shihab Ghanem has said.

Speaking at a function organised by the Kerala Sahitya Akademi here on Friday, he said poetry enjoyed prime position among the Arabian arts.

“Arab poetry was very rich right from the pre-Islamic era. Poetry represents tradition and culture of a nation. Poets enjoyed a high position in Arabic society.

Yet, the first Arabic writer who won a Nobel Prize was a novelist, Naguib Mahfouz,” he said.

“The reason for that is that translation of Arabic poetry is tough whereas good translations of novels are available, ” he said.

While interacting with writers at the akademi, Mr. Ghanem, who came to Kerala as a guest of the State Tourism Ministry, said that his link with India started in 1968, while he was a student of Master of Engineering Degree in water resources development at Roorkee University.

An engineer, management expert and economist, Mr. Ghanem has published 30 books and translated many poems from Arabic to English and vice versa.

“My connection with India and its literature started with my maternal grandfather, who was very close to Mahatma Gandhi. Even my mother knew Gandhiji personally.”

Mr. Ghanem introduced poets such as Sachidanandan, Kamala Suraiya, K. G. Sankarapillai and many contemporary poets to the Arab world.

Considered as an ambassador for Malayalam culture in the UAE, many of his works were translated into Malayalam too.

“The freshness and originality of Malayayam poetry have always inspired me”, he said. He recited two of his poems Bakhbookh and Behind the Iron Curtain.

Abdul Hakkim Subaidi, another Arabic poet, accompanied him. Akademi president M. Mukundan; vice-president P. Valsala; secretary Purushan Kadalundi; and many eminent writers also spoke.

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