The Bizarreness in the Poetry of Hassan Salim Al-Dabbagh: Warning Texts as a Model

Abstract

    The experience of the Iraqi poet Hassan Salem Al-Dabbagh is considered one of the most prominent contemporary poetic experiences characterized by elements of the bizarre and warning; his poetry is distinguished by transcending the ordinary, reflecting deep human conflicts related to existence and identity. Notably, Al-Dabbagh was born into an environment rich in culture and arts, which enriched his poetic experience and made it diverse and innovative. He often highlights in his texts the interplay between reality and imagination, using natural symbols and metaphorical expressions to create rich poetic images that reflect feelings of anxiety, care, and concern towards the addressees.

Al-Dabbagh addresses multiple themes in his poetry, including identity, existence, and anxiety, employing the style of bizarre warning as a means to express his fears of human contradictions, through his use of poetic language that is imbued with mystery and astonishment.

In this work, we will study the various aspects of the bizarre and warning in the poetry of Hassan Salem Al-Dabbagh. The approach adopted in this study is based on the descriptive-analytical method. In terms of its structure, it is organized into an introduction and two main sections:

- A study of the fantastical and warning dimensions, including an exploration of the linguistic and terminological concepts of the fantastical and warning.

- The nature of the warning structure and unfamiliar imagery in Al-Dabbagh’s poetry. This section includes an analysis of selected texts that demonstrate fantastical warning, as well as a study of the symbols and connotations employed in the texts.