Holes (contemporary Arab world, U. of Oxford) has published widely on the Arabic language and its dialects; an independent researcher of Bedouin poetry and culture, Abu Athera has published and
broadcast in Arabic and consulted for UNESCO. They present a collection of 41 poems by five contemporary poets from Jordan and the Sinai Peninsula whose work comments on world affairs, such as
the Arab-Israeli wars, the Gulf War, the American invasion of Iraq; criticizes the domestic policies of Arab states; and highlights poverty, discrimination, corrupt officialdom, and compliant
local media. Each poem is transliterated and translated into English verse, with historical and contextual annotation. An introductory essay discusses the current practice of Bedouin poetry in
the eastern Arab world, and the main thematic and structural features of the poems. Also included are Arabic script versions of the poems, extensive language notes, and a glossary of Arabic
terms. Distributed in the US by ISBS. Annotation 穢2009 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
