Muhammad al-Maghut

Who was Muhammad al-Maghut?

Muhammed al-Maghout was a Syrian Ismaili writer and poet. He was born in Salamiya, Syria.

Muhammad Maghout was credited as the father of the Arabic free verse poetry, liberating the Arabic poems from the traditional form and revolutionizing the structure of the poem. He wrote for theater, TV and cinema. Maghout's work combined satire with descriptions of social misery and malaise, illustrating what he viewed as an ethical decline among rulers in the region. Some of his themes included the problems of injustice and totalitarian governments. He co-operated with Syrian actors Dureid Lahham and Nihad Qal'i to produce some of the region's most popular and acclaimed theatrical works, such as Kasak ya Watan and Ghorbeh.

Al-Maghout was also known for his book "I will betray my homeland", a collection of essays.

Al-Maghout died at the age of 72 in April 2006.