Session 11:
Albabtain’s Encyclopaedia of Arabic Poets in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries, Kuwait, 27-30 October 2008:
During a meeting held on 25/12/2006, the Board of Trustees decided to base the forthcoming session on one of the Foundation’s most important projects; «Albabtain’s Encyclopaedia of Arabic Poets in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries». It was set to be held in Kuwait, the country from which this great piece of work has emerged. This publication took 11 years of hard work and team effort to complete and contains biographies of more than eight thousand deceased poets from the years 1801 to 2008. This great Encyclopaedia contains biographies and poetic samples of 8,039 poets, in addition to 1479 poets who never received sufficient documentation. Furthermore, this was the first session that took place in Kuwait and was aimed at enriching Kuwait’s cultural heritage.
On November 28, 2007, the Chairman of the Board of Trustees issued a resolution to form the senior Organizing Committee, under his Chairmanship and the membership of a number of specialized persons. The first meeting was held in Kuwait on 14-16-2007 and issued the following resolutions:
1 - Declaration upon completion of Albabtain’s Encyclopaedia of Arabic Poets in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries and the issuing of its 25 volumes.
2 - Holding a literature-based symposium which includes research about Albabtain’s Encyclopaedia of Arabic Poets in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries and other Arabic Poetry in these two centuries.
3 - Holding a dialogue of civilization entitled “The World Today: Cultures and Interests,” with contributions from 6 Arab researchers and 6 Western researchers.
The Session’s Publications
1- Albabtain’s Encyclopaedia of Arabic Poets in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries: Includes biographies of 8039 poets, in addition to 1479 poets, who never received sufficient documentation. This Encyclopaedia consists of 25 volumes.
2- Diwan Al-Akhras: By Abdullkader Ben Abdulwahed bin Wahab Al-Moselly Al-Baghdadi Al-Basrri (1874), edited by Waleed Al-Aazami and reviewed by Abdulaziz Juma and Ibrahim Al-Aswad; 696 pages.
3- Diwan Saqer Al-Shebeeb: Presented and edited by Dr. Yaqoub Ghuneem; 736 pages.
4- Elia Abo Madi (the Complete Works): Collected and edited by Abdulkarim Al-Ashter and reviewed by Mahmoud Al-Bajjali; 1146 pages.
5- Image of the West in Modern Arabic Poetry: Written by Dr. Ihab Al-Najdi and reviewed by Mahmoud Al-Bajjali; 419 pages.
6- The Shawqi/Lamartine Session’s Book; Research and Discussions (2 Parts): Edited and reviewed by Mahmoud Al-Bajjali and Abdulaziz Juma 1277 pages.
7- Winners of the Best Poem (1990 - 2006): Prepared by Jamal Al-Beili and edited by Abdulaziz Al-Surayea; 136 pages.
8- Winners of the Foundation’s Prizes: Prepared by Jamal Al-Beili and edited by Abdulaziz Al-Surayea; 138 pages.
9- Winners of the 11th Session’s Prizes (October 2008): Prepared by Jamal Al-Beili; 39pages.
10- A booklet about the Board of Trustees; 24 pages.
Two additional honorary books were issued on the sidelines of the session:
11- The Great Author Abu Al-Qassem Mohammad Kerro: Prepared by the General Secretariat and edited by Abdulaziz Juma and Mahmoud Al-Bajjali; 372 pages.
12- Dr. Izzeddin Ismael: A memoriam book written by his colleagues and friends, collected by Adnan Farzat and edited by Abdulaziz Juma, Ibrahim Al-Aswad and Mahmoud Al-Bajjali; 326 pages.
The awards were distributed as follows:
1 - The Honorary Prize in Poetic Creativity: Palestinian poet Haroun Hashim Rasheed.
2 - The Poetry Criticism Prize: Concealed.
3 - The Best Poetry Diwan Prize: Iraqi poet Yahya Al-Samawi.
4 - The Best Poem Prize: Jordanian poetess Nabeelah Al-Khateeb.
* All the aforementioned prizes were delivered by the representative of the His Highness the Amir, Sheikh Sabah, former Minister of Information and Head of the National Council of Culture, Art and Letters.