The epic Arabic poem that was born in a stable

Iraqi poet Adnan Al-Sayegh was confined to a deserted stable for having banned books in his possession while serving as a conscript in the Iraqi army during the Iran-Iraq war of the 1980s. It was in these squalid conditions that he began writing a poem that would become one of the longest in Arabic history. It's called Uruk's Anthem and is over 500 pages long and took 12 years to write - it not only brought Adnan international recognition, but also put his life in danger, forcing him to flee his homeland in 1993. Now, for the first time, substantial extracts from Uruk's Anthem have been published jointly in English and Arabic - the book is called Let Me Tell You What I Saw and was co-written and translated by Jenny Lewis.

Extracts of Uruk's Anthem came courtesy of Adnan Al-Sayegh

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Presenter: Jo Fidgen Producer: June Christie Interpreter: Youssef Taha

Picture: Adnan Al-Sayegh holding the book Wait for me under the Statue of Liberty Credit: Adnan Al-Sayegh