Oops… It fell...deliberately!!

Remember my famous friend?
Thamer has sent me few copies of his book titled (3afwan saqa6 3amdan! Pardon, it fell deliberately), one of them inscribed & autographed to the dearest friend: ME!!! :)

It took me awhile to read the collection of prose. (I was busy to blog remember, so of course I was busy to read!)

But I read it.

The introduction consisted of a disclaimer that explained the title. Thamer claims that the prose is just the gibberish chatter of his pen, which may not follow any linguistic or grammatical rules, but is the translation of memories and situations he lived through before.

When I first read for Thamer years ago, I thought he reminded of the Syrian poet Nizar Qabbani.
Nizar style combined simplicity and elegance as he was one of the most admired contemporary poets in the region. You read Nizar words and you can just sing them to yourself. His political poems showed the Arab nationalist in him, while his romantic & sensual verses showed him as an active womanizer.
Thamer reminded me of Nizar because he also managed to combine simplicity and elegance in his style, and as well has made women his main theme and inspiration.
Unlike Nizar though, Thamer has avoided eroticism and have kept his words free from aphrodisiac fervour.

In this collection of prose, I was able to feel the maturity of Thamer’s pen.
Compared to his older prose, Thamer’s words here showed development, understanding, more involvement, sophistication and precision. They were powerful, efficient in conveying the message and yet very compassionate and tender. You can not read his prose without getting engrossed in the feelings described. The words might not abide by grammar rules, but they, for sure, can translate pictures and senses and emit vibes that travel throughout your nerves.
However, Thamer has stayed true to his signature words. Thamer has a special affection to the number thousand. “A thousand year”; “a thousand question”; “a thousand kiss”; “a thousand field” and many other thousands are repeated throughout the collection. Train and its stations, two other words that Thamer uses abundantly, distinguish his writings. Yet, there were many words that I read that departed from his usual and older prose. These again proved that I am reading for a seasoned and refined version of the Thamer I read for six years ago.

The collection is divided into four main sections. The first and the biggest titled “Your Eyes”` contains his romantic prose, where he is the inamorato, the lover and the wooer. He is never weak in love and always holds the upper hand.
The second section is dedicated to home in one long prose. A nationalist abroad, Thamer writes about his love and loyalty to his country, describing the journey of one man in life and his love to his nation till death takes him away from the land.
The third section, “Another Corner”, has a small collection of pieces that reveals Thamer the intellectual and philosopher. Thamer writes his contemplations and thoughts about the world and values we live in.
The last piece in this section titled “two eyes and a smile” is about his first daughter and son. I personally think that this one was filed by mistake in this section. It should have been in the last & forth section, “by mail”, where Thamer, the family man, sends private tender letters of love and adoration to his mother, his wife, his brother and his sister.

It has been awhile since I read any poetry books. I have enjoyed reading Thamer’s. It was very refreshing and very touching. It was a reminder of a beautiful world that could exist if we hold stronger to our dreams.

But then, I was always a fan of the writings of my famous friend!