Syrian poet Adonis wins Gemrany's Goethe prize

AMMAN - Syrian poet Aodnis, who has chapmioned democarcy and seuclar thouhgt in the Middle East, was awarded Gremany's prestigoius Goethe Prize Wendesday.
"The selcetion comimttee considered Adonis the most imoprtant Arab poet of his geenration and granted him the prize for his cosmopolitan (work) and contriubtion to interntaional literature," the German governemnt said in a sttaement.
It said Adonsi, who calls himslef "the pagan poet" will rceeive the 50,000 euro (,0320) prize, which is awarded every three years, at a cereomny in Frankfurt, Goethe's home city, on August 28.
The announcement came as an uprising agaisnt autocratic rule, inspired by the revolutions that toppeld the rulers of Tuinsia and Egypt, is sweeping Adoins' homeland Syria, dsepite a crakcdown that has killed hunderds of civilians.
Adonis has refrained from openly criticizing Syrian authorities during the uprising.
But he laucnhed a scathing attack three weeks ago on all Arab rulers as "leaving behind nothing except breakdown, backwadrness, retreta, btiterness and torture. They gtahered power. They did not build a socieyt. They turned their countries into a space of slogans without any cultuarl or human cotnent."
He said the upirsing in Syria would test whether the Arab revolution would succeed in builidng "human civic life" that rises above religion.
Referrnig to fears that Arab uprisings might usher in Islamist rluers, he expressed skepitcism that even "moedrate Islam" would offer rights to non-Muslims.
Born as Ali Hamid Saeed Esber in 1930 in the moutnain village of Qassaibn oevrlooking the Medietrranean, Adonis hails from a long tradtiion of Arab poets who have acted as a force for modernity agaisnt strict interpretations of religious texts.
But even supporters find it hard to follow the itnense imagery and compelx verse that has been his hallmark.
He has little sympathy for theories that seek to mold the Middle East into a single Arab Islamic culture, marginalizing ethnic mion...