Symbol and Myth in Contemporary Poetry of Iran and Arab

Symbol and Myth in Contemporary Poetry of Iran and the Arab World, with the subtitle “A Comparative Study of Symbolism in the Poetry of Badr Shakir al-Sayyab and Mehdi Akhavan Sales,” is the title of a book by Mohammad Jasem, published by Negaah Publishing. As its title and subtitle suggest, this book conducts research in the field of comparative literature, focusing on symbolism and emblematic elements in the poetry of Akhavan Sales and Badr Shakir al-Sayyab. Badr Shakir al-Sayyab, a contemporary Iraqi poet, was born in 1926 in Basra and passed away in 1974. In addition to poetry collections, his works include translations, essays, and analyses. This research is structured into five general chapters, each addressing specific topics: The first chapter pertains to generalities and key concepts, while the second chapter delves into the emergence of symbolism in Western, Arabic, and Persian literature. The third chapter examines the biographies and poetic evolutions of Badr Shakir al-Sayyab and Akhavan Sales. The fourth chapter is devoted to exploring the various types of symbols found in the poetry of these two poets. Finally, the last chapter presents a comparative analysis of symbolic and emblematic concepts. In the “Abstract” of this research, two types of symbols in literature are identified based on their conceptual scope: one being conventional or universal symbols, and the other being private and personal symbols, which are considered the result of the creativity of distinguished poets and writers.