You and the Children in Beirut is a poetry book in Modern Standard Arabic. The book contains fifty-one poems. Most of the poems follow a specific meter and rhyme and are characterized by their penetrating musical effect in addition to their timely subject matter and the universal message that they convey. A master of prosody, George Nicolas El-Hage is famous for choosing short, musical meters that transport you into the realm of each poem and make you dance as you read his poems whether silently or in a loud voice. His poems have been described as "interactive" because they cause the reader to establish a dialogue with each poem due to their personalized message that enhances the reading experience. The last part of the book contains some prose poems that the author selected for inclusion in this volume. El-Hage's prose is as powerful, explosive and captivating as his poetry. The moving themes touch the reader's inner emotions and sensitivity. It is the cry of humanity, the passion for compassion, and the yearning for love in these poems that awaken in each of us a longing for universal brotherhood and unity. The revolt against war, the nostalgia for peace, and the compassion for children, the beloved and the homeland are the broader messages that reverberate throughout and permeate the poems that comprise this unique volume of Modern Arabic Poetry.
About the Author: George Nicolas El-Hage, Ph.D. is a Lebanese-American poet, professor, linguist, administrator and writer. He was born in Mansourieh El-Metn, Lebanon in 1952. His father was Nicolas Iskandar El-Hage and his mother was Martha Abounader El-Hage. Dr. El-Hage completed his elementary and secondary school education in Lebanon. He acquired his B.A. in Arabic Literature from the Lebanese University in Beirut, Lebanon. While in Beirut, El-Hage studied with and was influenced by poets like Buland al-Haidari and Khalil Hawi. He then emigrated to the United States where he completed both his Master of Arts and Ph.D. in Arabic and Comparative Literature at the State University of New York in Binghamton. His dissertation (later published into a book by NDU Press, Lebanon) was on William Blake and Kahlil Gibran: Poets of Prophetic Vision. He has taught at Yale University, Binghamton University, The Lebanese University, Columbia University, the Monterey Institute of International Studies (a graduate school of Middlebury College) and the Defense Language Institute. His academic career has been equally spent between teaching, authoring, lecturing and administration. Dr. El-Hage is a prolific writer with a perfect command of both English and Arabic languages. His training and expertise in the field of Arabic and Comparative Literature has enabled him to delve into a wide range of topics and areas covering Literature, mythology, mysticism, language acquisition, criticism, theology and art. He is a published poet in Arabic, both in Modern Standard and in spoken Levantine Dialect as well as in Lebanese Zajal. He also writes poetry in English and is an accomplished translator. Dr. El-Hage has published six volumes of poetry, numerous research articles, books on language pedagogy and poetry in Lebanese Dialect and Zajal. His poetry betrays a marked fluctuation between a deep romantic sensitivity and a tragic existential awareness which colors his reading of current universal and regional events. The tragedy of his embattled country constitutes a dominant theme in his writings. El-Hage is a supporter of the free verse movement in Modern Arabic Poetry. Nevertheless, he still appreciates the Qasida 'Amudiyya, the classical form of traditional Arabic Poetry. He always chooses short meters, and his poetry is characterized by its musical effects.