Omar Abu Risha

Omar Abu Risha was born in Manbij and studied industrial chemistry at the University of Manchester before discovering that his true calling was poetry. Returning to Syria, he became a central figure in the literary resistance against the French Mandate, his passionate patriotic odes declaimed by heart across the Arab world.

Following Syrian independence, Abu Risha represented his nation with distinction as ambassador to India, the United States, Brazil, and Austria. His verse combined romantic sensuality, formal classical perfection, and incandescent political indignation, notably in his scathing 1948 ode 'Ummati' (My Nation) mourning the loss of Palestine.