The beginning of the New Age in Syro-Lebanese poetry: the case of the Revue al-Qīṯārah (The Lyre, 1946-47)

This chapter aims to examine the case of a Syrian revue, al-Qīṯārah (The Lyre, 1946-47), published in Latakia in 1946 by an apparently unknown Ǧamā‘at al-Ši‘r al-Ǧadīd (The Group of the New Poetry). Completely devoted to arts and poetry, the revue aspired to contribute to the development of poetry. It involved a relevant number of poets who were to become the main representatives of the new upcoming trends: Nizār Qabbānī, Sa‘īd ‘Aql, Mišīl Ṭrād, ‘Alī Aḥmad Sa‘īd (Adonis), and Yūsuf al-Ḫāl, quoting only some of the most notable names. Clearly, this revue shared many features with a more well-known previous case, the Egyptian Abūllū (Apollo, 1932-33), including the short life. It had much in common with a later revue as well, Ši‘r (Poetry, 1957-1970), not least the presence of two of its main promoters. Yet, al-Qīṯārah did not obtain the same share of popularity, either among its contemporaries or in the academic studies. Given the relevance of its contributors and the period in which it appeared, al-Qīṯārah seems to effectively represent the poetic transition that occurred in Syria and Lebanon between the forties and fifties.