Language in the Shadow of the Unconscious:
Lucien Bourjaily
Maya El Sabaly
Tarek Anish
Tony Reif
Improvisation on the stage of words: Mounir Abu Debs’ first-generation students
The 2017 Festival Fraykeh brought together a diverse group of poets from across the world, creating a vibrant evening of cross-cultural poetry and artistic expression. Poets like Hani Nadeem from Syria, Nasser Al-Hajj from Iraq, Nasreen Kamal and Issam Assaf from Lebanon, Sebastian Heine from Germany, and French poets Paul du Brancion (with translations by Maison Kamal) and Antoine Ballad shared their works, each reflecting unique cultural and linguistic backgrounds. The evening’s guest, artist Marcel Nasr, added a musical element with his vocal performance, enriching the atmosphere. Held at Maison Fraykeh, the festival highlighted the power of poetry to bridge diverse cultures and connect audiences to shared human experiences.