Renowned Saudi poet Prince Badr bin Abdul Mohsen bin Abdulaziz Al Saud passed away in Paris on Saturday, at the age of 75, after suffering from illness.
He was widely known as the ‘Word Engineer’ and one of the most prominent pioneers of contemporary poetry in the Arabian Peninsula.
Early Life and Education
The prince was a member of the Saudi Royal family; the son of Prince Abdul Mohsin bin Abdul Aziz, a former governor of Madinah. He was born on April 2, 1949, in a highly educated family, surrounded by a wealth of books in his extensive personal library, and his father’s gatherings filled with intellectuals, writers, and great thinkers.
His academic journey was characterized by different learning experiences.
During his early education, the poet studied in Saudi Arabia and Egypt. He attended middle school at the Queen Victoria School in Alexandria, Egypt, and completed his secondary education in Riyadh, as well as in Britain and the US.
The Most Popular Literary Works
Badr’s poems have made a significant and lasting impression on the Saudi literature.
In 1990, he published his most famous poem “Message from a Bedouin” which marked him as one of the most pioneering poets of the contemporary poetry.
Among his notable poetry collections are “What the Sparrow Carves on the Date Palm” (published in 1989), “Perhaps a Poem” (published in 1996), and “A Glint” (published in 2010).
Fortunately, some of his poems were translated into English, including a selection published in 2021 by Ithra, the King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture, involving “Above the Peak of the Clouds”, “Coal”, “Swings”, and “On the Brook”.
Honors and Awards
Prince Badr was honored to head the Saudi Society for Culture and Art, in which he played a pivotal role in opening new horizons for artistic expression and influencing the development of poetry organizations in the Kingdom.
In 2019, King Salman awarded the prince with the prestigious King Abdulaziz Medal as a recognition of his brilliant literary works.
Furthermore, he was honored by the Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in the World Poetry Day in 2019 to recognize his cultural contributions.
The General Entertainment Authority in Saudi Arabia honored him in 2019 in a night entitled “The Night of Prince Badr bin Abdul Mohsen: Half a Century and the Full Moon”. Moreover, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Authority, Turki Al-Sheikh, announced that the theater was built specifically for this occasion and would be named Prince Badr bin Abdul Mohsen Theater.
In 2021, the Kingdom’s Literature, Publishing and Translation Commission unveiled plans to collect and publish his complete literary works to commemorate the unforgettable impact of his impressive five-decade career.
In March 2023, he was honored at the conclusion of the twenty-eighth session of Al-Qurain Cultural Festival in Kuwait and was chosen as the festival’s character.
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