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Said Akl

Said Akl
Saýid Ýaql
سعيد عقل
Born4 July 1911[1]
Zahlé, Ottoman Lebanon
Died28 November 2014 (aged 103)
Beirut, Lebanon
OccupationPoet, writer, philosopher, linguist, ideologue
LanguageLebanese Arabic, Modern Standard Arabic, Classical Arabic
Genres
Literary movementSymbolism

Said Akl (Arabic: سعيد عقل, Saʿīd ʿAql, also transliterated Saïd Akl, Said Aql and Saeed Akl; 4 July 1911 – 28 November 2014) was a Lebanese poet, philosopher, writer, playwright and language reformer. He is considered one of the most important Lebanese poets of the modern era.[2][3][4] He is most famous for his advocacy on behalf of codifying the spoken Lebanese Arabic language as competency distinct from Standard Arabic, to be written in a modern modified Roman script[5] consisting of 36 symbols that he deemed an evolution of the Phoenician alphabet. Despite this, he contributed to several literary movements (primarily, symbolism)[2][3] in Modern Standard Arabic, producing some of the masterpieces of modern Arabic belle lettres.

Akl aligned himself with Lebanese nationalism, and was one of the founding members of the Lebanese Renewal Party in 1972. The party, characterized by its pro-Phoenicianism stance, aimed to distance Lebanon from Pan-Arabism. His views found support within the Guardians of the Cedars movement.[6]

His writings include poetry and prose both in Lebanese Arabic and in Classical Arabic. He has also written theatre pieces and authored lyrics for many popular songs, such as Meshwar (Trip), and the classical Shal (Scarf), the latter of which was sung by Fairuz and composed by the Rahbani brothers, which Egyptian composer and singer Abdel Wahab described as "the most beautiful poem composed into a song in Arabic music."[7]

  1. ^ "Centenarian Lebanese poet, philosopher, writer Said Akl dies". Daily Star. 2014-11-28. Retrieved 2014-11-28.
  2. ^ a b Jayyusi, Salma Khadra (1977). "A Major Symbolist: Saʿid ʿAql (b. 1912)". Trends and Movements in Modern Arabic Poetry. Vol. 2. Leiden: E. J. Brill. pp. 489–510. ISBN 90-04-04920-7.
  3. ^ a b Allen, R.M.A. (2012). "Arabic poetry". In Greene, Roland; et al. (eds.). The Princeton Encyclopedia of Poetry and Poetics (4th rev. ed.). Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. p. 70. ISBN 978-0-691-15491-6.
  4. ^ "Prominent Lebanese poet Akl dies at over 100 years old". reuters.com. Reuters. 28 November 2014.
  5. ^ Moreh, S. (1976). Modern Arabic Poetry 1800–1970: The Development of its Forms and Themes under the Influence of Western Literature. Studies in Arabic Literature, 5. Leiden: E. J. Brill. p. 311. ISBN 90-04-04795-6.
  6. ^ Najem, Tom; Amore, Roy C.; Abu Khalil, As'ad (2021). Historical Dictionary of Lebanon. Historical Dictionaries of Asia, Oceania, and the Middle East (2nd ed.). Lanham Boulder New York London: Rowman & Littlefield. p. 19. ISBN 978-1-5381-2043-9.
  7. ^ "The Most Beautiful Poem Composed into a Song in Arabic Music". Dearborn Blog. 2020-01-21. Retrieved 2021-05-19.

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