The Impact of the Digital Space on Yemeni Poetry

Yemenat

Mohammed Al-Mekhlafi

Abdulaziz Al-Zaraei would often sneak into his uncle’s room, an Arabic language teacher, to browse through books and read works by Al-Bardoni and other treasures of Arabic literature and heritage. This ignited his curiosity and passion for knowledge.

In his small village, “Bani Al-Zaraei,” perched atop the towering Kusher mountains in the Hajour region of Hajjah, where clouds graze the peaks overlooking the lush plains of Tihama, he would wake up early each morning with a book in hand, immersing himself in the words and experiences of literary characters. Each book opened a window to new worlds, fueling his dream of becoming a recognized poet.

As his talent grew, he began writing poetry while still in high school, expressing himself in his unique style. He ventured to Sana’a, where he earned first place at the university and received the Yemeni President’s Prize in Poetry in 2009. His journey did not stop there; he soared higher, being crowned the “Prince of Poets” in the fourth edition of Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage competition in 2011, becoming the first Yemeni poet to receive this prestigious honor.

Dr. Al-Zaraei has published five poetry collections: An Introduction to the Ignition of Clay, Splittings of Yemeni Agate, Wounding Passersby, Bitter Roses, and Hunters Assuring Their Prey. He has also authored two critical studies: Time in the Poetic Image: A Linguistic Study of Al-Bardoni’s Poetry and The Poetic Discourse on Facebook.

He is not only a creative writer and poet but also a researcher who opens new horizons through his book The Poetic Discourse on Facebook, which presents a digital linguistic approach to selected examples of Yemeni poets. He dedicates this work to creators in Yemen’s remote villages, who seek internet signals atop mountains to share their creations.

In his opening