16 March 2021
H.E Shaikha Mai Receives Bahraini Poet Qassim Haddad
Her Excellency Shaikha Mai bint Mohammed Al Khalifa, President of the Bahrain Authority for Culture & Antiquities, received on 16 March 2021, the famous Bahraini poet Qassim Haddad, as part of her keen to reach out to intellectual and cultural communication with the figures of Bahraini culture to enhance the local cultural movement.
The meeting also shed light on the recent creative cultural events and activities by Bahrain Culture Authority, in conformity with the precautionary and preventive measures to limit the spread of the coronavirus (Covid-19) approved by the Bahrain Ministry of Health, social distancing and general safety rules. The meeting also discussed the virtual online celebration of Arab Poetry Day On March 21st of each year, the participation of Bahraini poet Qassim Haddad, and the publication by Bahrain Culture Authority of his first poetry collection, al-Bishara (The Omen) in its third edition after almost half a century since its publication.
In addition, the renowned Bahrain poet presented H.E Shaikha Mai a gift, Qassim Haddad’s Jawharat Al Marased (The Observatories Jewel), which is a collection of essays, “Portraits” on some of the Arab world’s most notable literary figures, including Naguib Mahfouz, Mahmoud Darwish, Salim Barakat, among others. In this unusual book, the great poet Qassim Haddad draws literary portraits of famous cultural figures he interacted with in his literary and personal lives, whether figures from the Arab world or the rest of the world. He introduces them to us from his vantage point and through his interactions with them from reflections, travels, and encounters.
