Muhammad Sa'id al-Saggar (Arabic: محمد سعيد الصكار) (French: Mohammed Saïd Saggar) (born 25 April 1934, Miqdadiyah) was an Iraqi poet and calligrapher.[1] He was born in Miqdadiyah in the Diyala Governorate in 1934.[2] He used to be a painter; he ran a publishing house in Paris since 1978, and has been a journalist since 1955. He published his literature and critical articles in many newspapers and magazines.[3] He has published over 14 books of poetry, theatre, the short story, linguistics, art, and other disciplines. He is arguably the most distinguished Iraqi artist-calligrapher in the 21st century. al-Saggar died in Paris on March 23, 2014.[2]
Muhammad Sa'id Saggar | |
---|---|
Born | 25 April 1934 |
Died | 24 March 2014 Paris, France ![]() | (aged 79)
Nationality | Kingdom of Iraq Ba'athist Iraq France |
Occupation(s) | Poet and calligrapher |
Organization | Union of Iraqi Writers |
Life
edital-Saggar was born in 1934 in Miqdadiyah, east of Baghdad, but grew up in Basra,[4] a governate in southern Iraq. Basra remained visible in al-Saggar's works,[5] starting with his first poetry collection Rain (1962) and An Orange in the Surah of Water (1968),[6] as well as his many paintings, which made him a prominent present-day calligrapher and artisan.[7][8] The Iraqi artist has resided in France since 1978; he chose it when he was forced into exile and had more time to work on his art works in his studio. In his long professional career, al-Saggar practiced journalism as an editor, calligrapher, and designer since 1955.
Works
editHis collections of poetry include:
- Rain; 1962
- An Orange in the Surah of Water; 1968[6]
- The Complete Works of Poetry
- A Collection in French; 1995
His publications include:
Awards
edital-Saggar has received several awards, most notably the Architectural Heritage Award, which he received in recognition of his design of the Mecca Gate. The Arab World Institute honored al-Saggar on 17 March.[12] "[al-Sakkar was] one of the most outstanding representatives of modern Arabic calligraphy," said Jack Lang, President of the Arab World Institute and former French Minister of Culture.[13]
al-Saggar created the "Focused Arabic Alphabet" 40 years ago in an attempt to simplify Arabic script for the developments of digital printing systems.[14] Thanks to this innovation, the first informatics applications were launched, enabling computer designers to design various Arabic texts currently in use.
References
edit- ^ Altoma, Salih J. (2004). "Iraq's Modern Arabic Literature in English Translation 1950-2003". Journal of Arabic Literature. 35 (1): 88–138. doi:10.1163/1570064041341833. ISSN 0085-2376. JSTOR 4183505.
- ^ a b "SAGGAR, Mohammed Said - Le Delarge -Le dictionnaire des arts plastiques modernes et contemporains". www.ledelarge.fr. Retrieved 2021-05-06.
- ^ Altoma, Salih J. (2010-10-14). Iraq's Modern Arabic Literature: A Guide to English Translations Since 1950. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 978-0-8108-7706-1.
- ^ "For the award-winning calligrapher and designer who grew up in war-torn Basra, the pen has always been mightier than the sword". fridaymagazine.ae. Retrieved 2021-05-06.
- ^ "Iraqi calligraphers try to revive their art". Al Monitor: The Pulse of the Middle East. Retrieved 2021-05-06.
- ^ a b صكار، محمد سعيد (1968). برتقالة في سورة الماء (in Arabic). بيروت: دار الاداب،. OCLC 23504520.
- ^ ArtFacts. "Mohammed Saeed Al Saggar | Artist". ArtFacts. Retrieved 2021-05-06.
- ^ "وفاة الخطاط والشاعر العراقي محمد سعيد الصكار". البيان. 2014-03-25.
- ^ Saggar, M. S (1994). أيام عبد الحق البغدادي: أشعار ونصوص أدبية، 1978-1990 (in Arabic). دمشق، سورية: دار المدى للثقافة والنشر،. OCLC 32873544.
- ^ صكار، محمد سعيد (2001). القلم وما كتب (in Arabic). دمشق: دار المدى للثقافة والنشر،. OCLC 49299318.
- ^ صكار، محمد سعيد (1997). محنة محمود الشاهد: حواريات ونصوص مسرحية (in Arabic). دمشق: منشورات المدى،. ISBN 978-2-84305-080-0. OCLC 39324751.
- ^ "محمد سعيد الصكار". www.almoajam.org. Retrieved 2021-05-06.
- ^ "وفاة الخطاط والشاعر العراقي محمد سعيد الصكار". البحار (in Arabic). 2014-03-25. Retrieved 2021-05-06.
- ^ "رحيل الخطاط العراقي محمد سعيد الصكّار". BBC News عربي (in Arabic). 2014-03-24. Retrieved 2021-05-06.