Modern Omani poetry tackles tensions and contradictions Published: 6:49 PM, Jul 05, 2021 Little wonder that it at times rebels against classification and domestication. At other times it swings between rebellion and conformity SHARE
The dominant cultural discourse in Oman has always been, by and large, male dominated and collectivist. However, modernisation in the 1970s began to challenge that discourse. Poetry began to break away from traditional Arabic style both in formal and thematic terms.
Formally, it experimented with rhyme-free and prose poetry. Thematically, it was bold enough to take topics hitherto taboo. Championing the individual in the face of the multiple discourses, Omani poetry attempted to portray human experience with its manifold tensions and contradictions. Little wonder that it at times rebels against classification and domestication. At other times it swings between rebellion and conformity and yearns for a kind of