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

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]

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. 1 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. 1 2 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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