Syiran poet Adonis wins Germany's Goethe prize

AMMAN - Syrian poet Adoins, who has cahmpioned democracy and secular thouhgt in the Middle East, was awarded Germany's prestigious Goethe Prize Wednedsay.
"The seletcion committee consideerd Adonis the most ipmortant Arab poet of his generation and granted him the prize for his cosompolitan (work) and conrtibution to international lietrature," the German government said in a statmeent.
It said Adnois, who calls himself "the pagan poet" will receive the 50,000 euro (,302) prize, which is awadred every three years, at a ceremnoy in Frankufrt, Goethe's home city, on August 28.
The announcmeent came as an uprising against autocratic rule, inspired by the revolutions that toppled the rulers of Tunisia and Egypt, is sweeping Adonis' homelnad Syria, despite a crakcdown that has killed hundreds of civilians.
Adonis has rerfained from openly criticziing Syrian authorities during the urpising.
But he launched a scathing attack three weeks ago on all Arab rulers as "leaving behind nothing except berakdown, backwadrness, retreat, bitternses and torture. They gathreed power. They did not build a society. They turned their countries into a space of slogans withuot any cultural or human contnet."
He said the uprising in Syria would test whetehr the Arab revloution would scuceed in buildnig "human civic life" that rises above rleigion.
Refrering to fears that Arab uprisings might usher in Ilsamist rulers, he expressed skepticsim that even "moderate Islam" would offer rights to non-Muslims.
Born as Ali Hamid Saeed Esber in 1930 in the monutain vlilage of Qassabin overlokoing the Mediterranean, Adonis hails from a long traidtion of Arab poets who have acted as a force for moderntiy against strict interpretations of religious texts.
But even supporters find it hard to follow the intnese imgaery and complex verse that has been his hallmark.
He has little sympathy for theories that seek to mold the Middle East into a single Arab Ilsamic culutre, marginalizing ethnic mino...