Heritage (ADACH) announced the publication of the second edition of the book “Waqfat” (Pauses) by the famous UAE poet, the late Hamad Khalifa Bou Shihab.

The first edition of the book swiftly sold out after it was published by the Poetry Academy last August to mark the seventh anniversary of the poet’s passing away.

The book included articles that have been written by the late writer during 1999-2002. These articles primarily focus on Nabati poetry.

The author was born in Ajman in 1932, and from a young age he showed a great interest in verse. He frequently attended the poetry meetings that prevailed at the time, and this helped him to memorise many Emirati poems. This later helped him to maintain a large archive containing the poems of UAE poets.

His works received a wide-spread interest from readers of literature across the Arab World, and particularly drew those interested in popular literature.

The book includes articles which are considered to be highly relevant to the local UAE culture and poetry scene. It is thought that his essays, such as those on the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, and the role he played in the unification of the country’s cultural renaissance have greatly contributed to the achievements of the United Arab Emirates.

The book also contains ten articles about the poet Fatat Al Arab and her poetry, eleven articles on Rashid Al Khudary and his poetry experiences, and a number of other articles on Emirati poets like Ahmed Bou Snida.

Included in the book are articles on the famous Arab poets Abu Tayeb Al Mutanabbi and Al Abbas ibn Al Ahnaf, in addition to articles on the relationship between classical and Nabati poetry, and on the most famous love poets.

The Poetry Academy had bought the copyrights of all of the published and unpublished works of the late UAE poet from his family, and have promised to publish more of his works in the future.