Muhammad Sa'id al-Sakkar

Muhammad Sa'id al-Sakkar (Arabic: محمد سعيد الصكار) (French: Mohammed Saïd Saggar) was an Iraqi poet and calligrapher.[1] He was born in Miqdadiyah in the Diyala Governorate in 1934.[2] He used to be a painter; he ran a publishing house in Paris since 1978, and has been a journalist since 1955. He published his literature and critical articles in many newspapers and magazines.[3] He has published over 14 books of poetry, theatre, the short story, linguistics, art, and other disciplines. He is arguably the most distinguished Iraqi artist-calligrapher in the 21st century. al-Sakkar died in Paris on March 23, 2014.[2]

Muhammad Sa'id al-Sakkar
Born25 April 1934 (1934-04-25)
Miqdadiyah, Iraq 
Died23 March 2014 (2014-03-24) (aged 79)
Paris, France 
NationalityKingdom of Iraq
Ba'athist Iraq
France
Occupation(s)Poet and calligrapher
OrganizationUnion of Iraqi Writers

Life

al-Sakkar was born in 1934 in Miqdadiyah, east of Baghdad, but grew up in Basra,[4] a governate in southern Iraq. Basra remained visible in al-Sakkar's works,[5] starting with his first poetry collection Rain (1962) and An Orange in the Surah of Water (1968),[6] as well as his many paintings, which made him a prominent present-day calligrapher and artisan.[7][8] The Iraqi artist has resided in France since 1978; he chose it when he was forced into exile and had more time to work on his art works in his studio. In his long professional career, al-Sakkar practiced journalism as an editor, calligrapher, and designer since 1955.

Works

His collections of poetry include:

  • Rain; 1962
  • An Orange in the Surah of Water; 1968[6]
  • The Complete Works of Poetry
  • A Collection in French; 1995

His publications include:

  • Arabic Calligraphy for Youth
  • The Days of Abd al-Haqq al-Baghdadi[9]
  • The Pen and What Has Been Written[10]
  • The Plight of Mahmoud al-Shahid[11]

Awards

al-Sakkar has received several awards, most notably the Architectural Heritage Award, which he received in recognition of his design of the Mecca Gate. The Arab World Institute honored al-Sakkar on the 17th of March.[12] "[al-Sakkar was] one of the most outstanding representatives of modern Arabic calligraphy," said Jack Lang, President of the Arab World Institute and former French Minister of Culture.[13]

al-Sakkar created the "Focused Arabic Alphabet" 40 years ago in an attempt to simplify Arabic script for the developments of digital printing systems.[14] Thanks to this innovation, the first informatics applications were launched, enabling computer designers to design various Arabic texts currently in use.

References
  1. Altoma, Salih J. (2004). "Iraq's Modern Arabic Literature in English Translation 1950-2003". Journal of Arabic Literature. 35 (1): 88–138. doi:10.1163/1570064041341833. ISSN 0085-2376. JSTOR 4183505.
  2. "SAGGAR, Mohammed Said - Le Delarge -Le dictionnaire des arts plastiques modernes et contemporains". www.ledelarge.fr. Retrieved 2021-05-06.
  3. Altoma, Salih J. (2010-10-14). Iraq's Modern Arabic Literature: A Guide to English Translations Since 1950. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 978-0-8108-7706-1.
  4. "For the award-winning calligrapher and designer who grew up in war-torn Basra, the pen has always been mightier than the sword". fridaymagazine.ae. Retrieved 2021-05-06.
  5. "Iraqi calligraphers try to revive their art". Al Monitor: The Pulse of the Middle East. Retrieved 2021-05-06.
  6. صكار، محمد سعيد (1968). برتقالة في سورة الماء (in Arabic). بيروت: دار الاداب،. OCLC 23504520.
  7. ArtFacts. "Mohammed Saeed Al Sakar | Artist". ArtFacts. Retrieved 2021-05-06.
  8. "وفاة الخطاط والشاعر العراقي محمد سعيد الصكار". البيان. 2014-03-25.
  9. Saggar, M. S (1994). أيام عبد الحق البغدادي: أشعار ونصوص أدبية، 1978-1990 (in Arabic). دمشق، سورية: دار المدى للثقافة والنشر،. OCLC 32873544.
  10. صكار، محمد سعيد (2001). القلم وما كتب (in Arabic). دمشق: دار المدى للثقافة والنشر،. OCLC 49299318.
  11. صكار، محمد سعيد (1997). محنة محمود الشاهد: حواريات ونصوص مسرحية (in Arabic). دمشق: منشورات المدى،. ISBN 978-2-84305-080-0. OCLC 39324751.
  12. "محمد سعيد الصكار". www.almoajam.org. Retrieved 2021-05-06.
  13. "وفاة الخطاط والشاعر العراقي محمد سعيد الصكار". البحار (in Arabic). 2014-03-25. Retrieved 2021-05-06.
  14. "رحيل الخطاط العراقي محمد سعيد الصكّار". BBC News عربي (in Arabic). 2014-03-24. Retrieved 2021-05-06.
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