This Land (Iraq) was no Longer Suitable for Anything” The Cult of Personality in Adnan Al-Sayegh’s ‘Dictator Poems’

Abstract

Being politically and socially engaged, the Iraqi poet Adnan Al-Sayegh wrote a number of what might be termed ‘The Dictator Poems’in which he sheds light on the nature of the Cult of Personalitythat can be considered a natural outcome of the political system inmodern Iraq. These poems present very gruesome and ghastly picturesof life dominated by a ruthless and bloodthirsty dictatorial systemthat kept on violating human rights and abusing power. The paperaims at exploring the manifestations of the ‘Cult of Personality’in a number of Al-Sayegh’s poems. First, it introduces dictatorshipas a political system that runs contrary to the values of freedom,humanity and civilized life; it also focuses on the tyrannical andtotalitarian regime that reigned Iraq for about forty years. Havingestablished the theoretical background, the paper then presents acritical analysis of some of Al-Sayegh’s poems that deal with Cult ofPersonality . The conclusion argues that the aim of Al-Sayegh is notonly to criticize and protest against the offenses and law-breakingsof dictators, but also to warn them that they are the big losers whoare to live and die alone and isolated from others.