Quartet of Joy

Matar's Quartet of Joy is a multilayered poetic composition in four elemental keys: earth, fire, water, and air. While exemplifying Egyptian ethos, the poems also evoke African landscapes, ancient Greek philosophy, Bedouin culture, Islamic folk rituals, classical Arabian verse, Koranic citations, and Sufi aphorisms to create a lyrical arabesque. The four sets of the volume create a musical structure that has the intimacy and the gracefulness of a quartet playing chamber music. The dazzling poetry is richly seeded with literary, political, and philosophical allusions. For the benefit of bilingual readers, the original poetry in Arabic is presented. The translation of Quartet of Joy is a unique work of Ferial Gahzoul and John Verlenden, combining poetic sensibility with scholarly knowledge. What results is a work beautifully true to Matar's sweeping cultural vision and one that mirrors his broad use of contrapuntal styles and his ability to employ all the powers and motifs of Arabic language, literature, and history.