Blue Expanse (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9781970020465)

About the Author Anwar Nayef Salman is a distinguished Lebanese modern poet who is considered to be one of the pioneers of Al-Shamiyah [the Levantine] school, a trend in Arabic poetry that focused on the esthetic aspects of the poem, with emphasis on visual and auditory imagery. Salman was born in Ramlieh, a village in Aley district, in 1938. In 1956 he graduated from The Universal College in Aley. That same year he won Maroun Abboud Award for poetry. He spent the early years of his career working as a teacher. During that period, he made his debut with a poetry collection titled To Her (1959). A few years later he worked for an organization specialized in producing music and song recordings as well as cultural and social programs for Lebanese and Arab radio stations. He also dabbled in journalism, becoming the editing manager of Meshwar magazine. Afterwards, he was employed by the Lebanese Ministry of Culture and Higher Education as a Cultural Consultant for Cinema, Theater, and Fares. At the outset of his poetic career, Salman joined the "Thuraya Circle" (the Pleiades), set up in 1956 by a group of Lebanese poets including Edmond Rizk, Michelle Nemeh, George Ghanim, Chauki Abou Chakra, Nour Selman, Georges Chami, Raymond Azar, and Jan Jabour. Salman was also a member of the Lebanese Writers' Union, and in 1997 he became a board member, a position for which he was re-elected for four consecutive terms. Additionally, he served as a member of a committee that supervised the production of lyrical poetry texts in the Lebanon Broadcasting Station, and a member of the Founding Committee of the Songwriters and Melodists Council in Lebanon. Many of Salman's poems were set to music and sung by famous Lebanese and Arab singers. His poem, "I Don't Want An Apology" won the prize of "The Most Beautiful Song" at Carthage Festival, Tunisia, 1994; three years later, another poem, "The Beauty of Beauties," received the first prize at Cairo International Festival for Arabic Songs; and in 1999 he was granted the Arab Pioneers' shield for Arabic song poetry in Cairo, sponsored by the League of Arab Countries.