was born in Damascus, Syria, in 1936 to Kurdish parents. A member of the Arab Writers Association, he left Syria in 1957 after it was banned.
In 1961 – via Beirut, Munich and West Berlin – he arrived in Leipzig, where he still lives today. He studied literature and theatre at the University of Leipzig’s German Institute of Literature, and in 1970 completed PhD on the theatre of Bertolt Brecht. He taught at the University 1968–1993 before becoming a full-time writer.
In 1985 he was awarded Leipzig city’s Art Prize and in 1992 the Adelbert von Chamisso Prize for his poetry. He is presently the president of the Leipzig Writers Association.
He has more than six poetry collections in German in addition to poetry and essays written in both Arabic and German, as well as a collection of plays, poems and stories from German into Arabic. Selected poems are published in Banipal 32, in the Feature on Contemporary Syrian Literature, part 2.
Contributor's Issues
Banipal No 32 Summer 2008
Latest News
20/02/2012Emirati poet and friend of Banipal, Ahmed Rashid Thani died suddenly on Monday 20 February

19/02/2012
"A Poet's Life in the Palestinian Century." Join biographer Adina Hoffman as she speaks about the life and works of the great Palestinian poet Taha Muhammad Ali.
[read more]06/02/2012
At a celebration of literary translation on Monday 6 February at Kings Place, Khaled Mattawa will receive the 2011 Saif Ghobash Banipal Prize for Arabic Literary Translation.
[read more]03/02/2012
The Mosaic Rooms celebrates theartistic and poetic works of the great Syrian poet Adonis with talks and events from 3-8 February and an exhibition of Adonis's collages from 3 February until 30 March. The opening evening this Friday sees Adonis in conversation with Khaled Mattawa who is the winner of the 2011 Saif Ghobash Banipal Prize for his translation Adonis: Selected Poems.
[read more]16/01/2012
Khaled Mattawa wins the 2011 Saif Ghobash-Banipal Translation Prize for Adonis:Selected Poems
[read more]12/01/2012
Chair of IPAF Judges Georges Tarabichi announces the shortlist authors of the 2012 International Prize for Arabic Fiction.
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