Mamdouh Adwan

Mamdouh Adwan (1941-2004) was a Syrian poet, playwright, novelist, critic and translator. Born in the village of Qayroun near Masyaf in the Hama governorate, he studied English literature at Damascus University and later taught at the Higher Institute for Dramatic Arts in Damascus. His first poetry collection, Al-Zill al-Akhdar (The Green Shadow), appeared in 1967.

He went on to publish some twenty collections of poetry, a number of plays, two novels, essays and television drama, the best known being the series Al-Zeer Salem. He also translated about two dozen books from English into Arabic, including the Iliad and the Odyssey. He died in Damascus on 19 December 2004.