Theatre
غرام ولادة
Not translated into English
Hussein Siraj · 1952
Synopsis
The Love of Wallada: a drama in verse in three acts, the play brings back to life in Andalusia the love affair of Wallada, daughter of the Umayyad caliph al-Mustakfi, and the poet Ibn Zaydun. The dialogue, which carries the music of verse, echoes Ibn Zaydun's famous nuniyya and lets the character of the heroine show, proud to the point of proclaiming that women, when they rise for their honour, crush whoever wrongs them.
Context
Published in Cairo in 1952 by Dar al-Maarif, with an introduction by Mahmoud Teymour presenting it as a poetic play inspired by history, the work was a success: its first edition sold out in seven months, and Tihama reissued it in 1982. Okaz regards it as the author's best-known poetic work; he dedicated it to Mohammed Surur al-Sabban, his support in difficult times. Yahya Dahami, who devoted two studies to it in 2026, sees in it a masterpiece of Saudi poetic theatre, while noting the lack of action in some scenes.
Who it is for
A historical drama in verse, more lyrical than theatrical; no French or English translation has been found.
Prizes and reception
On the author's death, in 2007, Okaz hailed him as the pioneer of poetic theatre in Saudi Arabia.
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