The Poet of Jizan and Modernity

Hassan Abu Alla is a poet from Jazan and a notable literary figure. He has made a name for himself in poetic expression by blending the authenticity of the Jazan environment with classical Arabic. Besides poetry, Abu Alla has a background in teaching, and he once expressed his frustrations by saying, "If they gave me a million for the lesson, I would not return to teaching!" This episode takes place in the garden of poet Hassan Abu Alla in Jazan, where he shares stories from his childhood in Beesh and his educational journey that led him to teaching, including his conflicts with the education director and school supervisors. He also discusses the heritage of the people of Jazan, their dances like the Azawi and the Zifa, and their circumcision rituals, noting that he was circumcised at the age of sixteen! Abu Alla did not publish his poetry until he was forty-seven, and he used to burn his old poems. So, why did he wait so long to publish? Despite his religious background, he admires Umm Kulthum and Abu Nuwas, even lamenting Umm Kulthum; what is the reason behind this? Why does he dislike modernist poetry and consider it empty? And what is the story behind his two imprisonments? Episode topics: 00:00 Introduction 0:53 The story of the pocket gift from Prince Khalid Al-Faisal 10:21 Is it correct to say Jazan or Jizan? 13:19 The meaning of Jazan dances and circumcision rituals 19:56 His educational journey in Beesh 28:19 His entry into teaching 36:12 What is the story of his imprisonment twice? 53:44 The reason for lamenting Umm Kulthum and his love for Shawqi and Abu Nuwas 1:02:44 The story of a woman complaining to him about her husband 1:07:08 What he said in lamenting Sheikh Al-Ghazali 1:10:24 What is his problem with Nizar and modernist poets? 1:18:19 His opinion on Yemeni poets and his poem about Saddam 1:22:59 Why did he publish his poetry late? 1:28:34 His romantic poems --- • Safa for Investment, upscale housing solutions that meet your needs and exceed your expectations: https://thmanyah.link/uar • Follow Saudi championships and other authentic content on the Thmanyah app: https://thmanyah.link/t5is • Ejada, your technical partner in the digital transformation journey: thmanyah.link/Ejada • Waqfi platform, a digital destination to support endowments and development projects with ease and transparency: https://thmanyah.link/Waqfy • Watch the podcast "What Were We Saying" on Thmanyah Radio: https://thmanyah.link/vymo • EVIQ, the leading Saudi company in electric vehicle infrastructure: https://thmanyah.link/eviq Links: Khalid Aoun's account on X: https://x.com/khalid_oun Thmanyah on Thmanyah Radio: https://thmanyah.link/i0qw Thmanyah website: https://thmanyah.link/fa44da Thmanyah Radio: https://thmanyah.link/af2741 Thmanyah on Twitter: https://twitter.com/thmanyah Thmanyah on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thmanyah/ Thmanyah on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thmanyah Thmanyah on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Thmanyah/