The Poetics of Places in the novel Arkashina al-Sayyid by Iraqi novelist Salman Kayyoush

Abstract

Poetics, a term referring to the transformation of ordinary speech into a creative artistic practice, has become a fundamental component of modern novelistic art, despite its origins in poetry. In this paper, we attempted to apply the concept of poetics to the narrative spaces in a significant Iraqi literary work, which has been regarded as a poetic piece captivating readers with the charm of its language, the sweetness of its expression, its lofty human meanings, and its exquisite descriptions. This work is Arkashina Al-Sayyid by the Iraqi novelist Dr. Salman Kuyoush. The author skillfully elevated narrative spaces to unparalleled heights of affection, making readers feel that these spaces pulsate with life, longing, and hope, thus achieving their poetic essence through specific criteria that we sought to uncover.

To achieve this, we employed various methodologies, such as the descriptive-analytical and social approaches, focusing on spaces as a central theme and benefiting from modern critical studies that preceded us in this field.