Jamal Jumá, born in
Baghdad
Baghdad ( or ; , ) is the capital and List of largest cities of Iraq, largest city of Iraq, located along the Tigris in the central part of the country. With a population exceeding 7 million, it ranks among the List of largest cities in the A ...
, is an Iraqi poet and writer. Since 1984, he has lived in Denmark. He has Bachelor of Arts in Arabic literature from
University of Basrah
The University of Basrah ( ''Jāmi'at Al Basrah'') is a public university situated in the city of Basra, Iraq.
Founded in 1964 to meet the needs of southern Iraq, the University of Basrah was at first affiliated with the University of Baghdad, b ...
and Cand.mag. in Semitic Philology from the
University of Copenhagen
The University of Copenhagen (, KU) is a public university, public research university in Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark. Founded in 1479, the University of Copenhagen is the second-oldest university in Scandinavia, after Uppsala University.
...
. He was an Arabic literature lecturer at the Center of Oriental Studies at the
University of Vilnius
Vilnius University (Lithuanian language, Lithuanian: ''Vilniaus universitetas'') is a Public university, public research university, which is the first and largest university in Lithuania, as well as one of the oldest and most prominent higher e ...
.
Life and career
He has published several collections of poetry, including Book of the Book (1990),
A Handshake in the Dark (1995), and Diary of the Sleepwalker (1998). His work has been translated to several languages.
He has also edited and published numerous manuscripts of Erotica, including
The Perfumed Garden
''The Perfumed Garden of Sensual Delight'' ( ''Al-rawḍ al-ʿāṭir fī nuzhaẗ al-ḫāṭir''), also known as the Arabic Kama Sutra, is a fifteenth-century Arabic sex manual and work of erotic literature by Muhammad ibn Muhammad al-Nefza ...
,
A Promenade of the Hearts, and The Forbidden Texts. This infuriated some religious and political establishments around the Arab World, resulting in the confiscation and banning of these books in all Arab countries. Besides he has translated several works by Danish poets and authors into Arabic, among them
Jens Fink-Jensen
Jens Fink-Jensen (born 19 December 1956) is a Danish poet, author, photographer, composer and architect.
Biography
Fink-Jensen was born in Copenhagen, Denmark. From 1968 to 1972 he attended school in Store Heddinge where he was a classmate with ...
,
Bo Green Jensen,
Johannes V. Jensen,
Janus Kodal and
Niels Lyngsø
Niels is a male given name, equivalent to Nicholas, which is common in Denmark, Belgium, Norway (formerly) and the Netherlands. The Norwegian and Swedish variant is Nils. The name is a developed short form of Nicholas or Greek Nikolaos, after Sain ...
.
Jamal Jumá achieved his first and major cultural breakthrough internationally when famous British composer
Michael Nyman
Michael Laurence Nyman, Order of the British Empire, CBE (born 23 March 1944) is an English composer, pianist, libretto, librettist, musicologist, and filmmaker. He is known for numerous film soundtrack, scores (many written during his lengthy ...
set to music a good number of poems from his collection
A Handshake in the Dark. The choral work was commissioned by the
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...
and premiered by the
BBC Symphony Chorus and
BBC Symphony Orchestra
The BBC Symphony Orchestra (BBC SO) is a British orchestra based in London. Founded in 1930, it was the first permanent salaried orchestra in London, and is the only one of the city's five major symphony orchestras not to be self-governing. The ...
on 8 March 2007 at the Barbican Hall, London, with John Storgards as conductor.
Books and anthologies
Book of the Book
Articles
Rafed Khashan: Diary of SleepwalkerThe Sunday Times: How a family trauma inspired an Iraqi poetMichael Nyman: A Handshake in the DarkAmir Taheri: An Iraqi Poet Finds a New Language, Amir Taheri
See also
* Iraqi art
Iraqi art is one of the richest art heritages in world and refers to all works of visual art originating from the geographical region of what is present day Iraq since ancient Mesopotamia, Mesopotamian periods. For centuries, the capital, Baghd ...
* List of Iraqi artists
The following is a list of important artists, including visual arts, poets and musicians, who were born in Iraq, active in Iraq or whose body of work is primarily concerned with Iraqi themes or subject matter.
Note: This article uses Arabic nami ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Juma, Jamal
Living people
20th-century Iraqi poets
Writers from Baghdad
Iraqi expatriates in Denmark
University of Basrah alumni
Year of birth missing (living people)
21st-century Iraqi poets