Literature in Yemen: A Journey Through Time in a Bottomless Pit

Haneen Al-Wahsh – Sawt Al-Amal (Voice of Hope)

Researchers of Yemeni literature face immense difficulty in historically surveying it and associating it with a specific era, not only because of its abundance and ancient origins, but also because most of Yemen’s literary heritage is missing, and searching for it requires traveling to libraries around the world. Much of it is buried and lives in the corners of mosques, libraries, and private homes, with only a small fraction of it having emerged. This is what the Yemeni writer Muhammad Saeed Jarada pointed out in his book “Literature and Culture in Yemen Through the Ages.”

Yemeni civilization is characterized by its vast creative reservoir. Literature was just one of its building blocks, acting as a mirror reflecting the rich and diverse history of a civilization that has long been known for its knowledge and heritage.

Because Yemen was an economic home for various civilizations, this contact with ancient civilizations gave it a high capacity to interact with various forms of world literature. This is where stories were formed as the most prominent folk literature in Yemen.

The early beginnings of literature in Yemen remain undocumented. However, its prominent emergence began in the pre-Islamic era through a group of Yemeni poets who enriched the Arabic library with prominent poems whose echoes still resonate today.

Yemeni Poets before Islam

The history of Yemeni literature stretches back thousands of years and has witnessed many diverse developments influenced by the country’s political, social, and cultural changes. Literature in Yemen began as prose through a collection of sayings, letters, and oratory methods before poetry emerged, dominating various forms of literature for a long time.

Before Islam, several Yemeni poetic voices emerged, and historians have documented about sixty poets, beginning with Al-Afwah Al-Awdi and ending with Imru’ Al-Qais and Farwa bin Musaik Al-Muradi.

Pre-Islamic Yemeni poetry varied in its characteristics and features, as author Muhammad Saeed Jarada says, between poetry dominated by sorrow and grief for the fading Yemeni civilization, epic poetry by knight poets singing of glories, and a third type dominated by rebellion against the tribe and societal traditions, known as the rebellious poets.

The Yemeni poet Imru’ Al-Qais is considered the most poetic of the pre-Islamic poets, as critics agree, being the first of the Arabs to use many metaphors and skillfully master similes that surpass today’s poets. Many of his poems have been translated into numerous foreign languages.

Literature in the Early Islamic Era

Critics and historians agree that Yemen exported a lot of literature in the early Islamic era and imported its counterpart in the form of jurisprudence and legislation. Al-Zarkali says in his book “Al-‘Alam” that Yemen, just as it exported poetry to the north of the Arabian Peninsula, also innovated a new literary form: authorship. The historian cites the writing of the book “The Kings and News of the Past” and the book “The Crowns and Kings of Himyar,” which are naturally under the title of “The News of ‘Ubaid bin Sharia concerning the news of Yemen, its poems, and its genealogies.” Another book was called “Proverbs,” and ‘Ubaid bin Sharia is considered the first to write history, as the historian and literary critic Ahmad bin Muhammad Al-Shami describes him.

In the early Islamic era, some Yemeni poets became famous, foremost among them the Yemeni poet Saraqa Al-Barqi, who emerged in the year 66 AH as a rebel and warrior. Although his life remains unknown, he has a printed Diwan (Poem Collection) that was published in 1947 AD. His poetry is characterized by its Yemeni spirit. Some of his poems are a documentation of the Yemeni tribes that he lists in his poetry “as if he were compiling a genealogy encyclopedia,” as Muhammad Saeed Jarada describes him in his aforementioned book.

Yemeni poetry had a major presence in the Umayyad state, but it was even more flourishing during the Abbasid era, as critics point out. Yemeni literature in this era is considered to encompass various literary genres, from poetry and prose to folk literature, stories, and history.

During the Abbasid era, several Yemeni poets and writers emerged, despite the state of fragmentation that Yemen was experiencing at the time. Some of them were mentioned by Ahmad bin Muhammad Al-Shami in one of his lectures, including Muhammad bin Aban, Amr bin Zaid Al-Ghalibi, Ahmad bin Yazid Al-Qushaibi, Muhammad bin Wahib Al-Himyari, Abdul-Khaliq Al-Shihabi, Abdallah bin Abbad Al-Khawlani, Yahya bin Ziad, and Muhammad Al-‘Urzami.

Yemeni Novels and Contemporary Yemeni Literature

Yemen, a nation plagued by conflict and division, has witnessed a flourishing literary scene. The novel emerged in the early 20th century, becoming a prominent literary form. Historians trace the first Yemeni novel to 1927 with the publication of “The Girl of Qaroot” by Yemeni author Ahmad Abdullah Al-Saqqaf. This novel, initially published in Indonesia, was praised by Yemeni author and novelist Ahmad Abdullah Muthanna as a masterpiece of storytelling, technique, description, poetry, flashbacks, symbolism, and all aspects of contemporary narrative. While set in Indonesia, the characters are from his family in Hadhramaut, with only two foreigners appearing in the narrative.

Muthanna, in his book “History of the Yemeni Novel,” emphasizes that “Saeed” by writer and novelist Muhammad Ali Luqman Al-Muhami, was the second Yemeni novel. This novel, published in 1939, is considered by critics and historians to be the first Yemeni novel published within Yemen itself.

The third Yemeni novel was “Waq al-Waq” by author Muhammad Mahmood Al-Zubairi, followed by numerous novels by notable Yemeni authors like Zaid Muti’ Dammaj, known for his novel “The Hostage” in the 1980s.

Yemeni literature reflects the history of an ancient people and their civilization, spanning thousands of years. It has been influenced by various civilizations and cultures that passed through Yemen, enriching its literary heritage and giving it great diversity. Many prominent Yemeni authors have contributed to the Yemeni and Arab literary scene, including Ali Ahmad Bakathir, a renowned Yemeni poet, playwright, and novelist, considered a pioneer of Arab Modernism.

Diversity and Authenticity

Abdullah Al-Alimi, Director General of the Culture Office in Taiz, states that discussing Yemeni literature requires volumes. The sheer volume and diversity of literary output, whether in poetry with its many forms or prose, which cannot be confined to two or three genres, necessitates extensive exploration.

He highlights that Yemeni literature has been largely overlooked by Arab historians, critics, and writers who have focused on Arabic literature. Only a small number of writers have paid attention, albeit minimally, to Yemeni literature.

Al-Alimi emphasizes the need for a real review and investigation of Yemeni literature to preserve national memory as it reflects the history and development of society. It is a vital source for documenting history, reflecting crucial aspects of the struggles and challenges Yemenis have faced throughout the ages.

He asserts that strengthening national identity and fostering feelings of national belonging and loyalty come from documenting Yemeni literature in all its stages, making it accessible to the public, and encouraging reading and exploration through various technological means.

He adds that literature and culture are important tourism tools for attracting visitors. Documenting Yemeni literature allows visitors to learn about the country’s literary heritage and build bridges of communication and dialogue between cultures.

Novelist, writer, and critic Dr. Hani Al-Salwi believes that a significant amount of Yemeni literature is being lost due to various factors, primarily the divisions and conflicts Yemen has experienced throughout its history, alongside the scarcity of sources that historians and critics can rely upon. He points out that Yemeni literature is a vast and turbulent sea, with nearly every region in Yemen possessing its own unique literary art.

In a time when Yemen is witnessing constant conflicts, Yemeni literature remains a silent cry for recognition. Amidst complex historical paths and the clamor of political events, literary masterpieces that carry the identity of an entire nation have vanished.