<DIV><p>Born in Syria in 1930, Adonis later moved to Lebanon and became a pivotal figure in the new poetry of the late 1960s. With the publication of <i>Mihyar of Damascus: His Songs</i> in 1963—widely viewed as a watershed moment in Arabic poetry—Adonis forged a new set of possibilities for Arabic poetry, writing in traditional meters but infusing them with modernist rhythms, styles, and conceptual complexities.</p><p>Translators <b>Adnan Haydar</b> (University of Arkansas in Fayetteville) and <b>Michael Beard</b> (University of North Dakota) co-edit a series of books, <i>Middle East Literature in Translation</i>, for Syracuse University Press.</p></DIV>