Adonis

World-renowned Syrian poet Adonis is to visit the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor Campus the second week of October. Adonis is to hold a Poetry reading Monday, October 11 at 5:10pm at the Helmut Stern Auditorium in University of Michigan Museum of Art. 525 S. State Street. Following the poetry reading he will make three other appearances for a Interview, Lecture and Poetry Roundtable.

Adonis was born in Al Qassabin, Latakia, in Northern Syria. In 1947, he had the opportunity to recite a poem for Syrian president Shukri al-Kuwatli; that led to a series of scholarships which eventually allowed to receive a degree in Philosophy from Syrian University in Damascus in 1954. Later, Adonis received a scholarship to study in Paris from 1960-1961. From 1970 to 1985 he was professor of Arabic literature at the University of Lebanon. In 1976, he was a visiting professor at the University of Damascus. In 1980-1981, he was professor of Arabic at the Sorbonne in Paris.Adonis received the Bjørnson Prize in 2007 and  was a candidate for the Nobel Prize in Literature from 2005-2008. He has written over 20 books in Arabic, many of which have been translated into English.