Mohammed bin Qaratas Al Mahri (Arabic: محمد قراطاس) is an Omani poet, novelist, and writer, who was born in Salalah in the first quarter of the 1970s.[1] He started writing at an early age[1] and was a poet since the end of the 1990s. He writes in all different forms, including classical poetry (also known as vertical poetry), free verse, and prose poetry.[2] Qaratas claims that poetry is a living being that comes at will and goes through evolution and change over time, If it stops evolving, that indicates its death in the heart of a poet.[3]

Mohammad Qaratas
Born1970 (age 53–54)
NationalityOmani
EducationSultan Qaboos University
Coventry University
Occupation(s)Poet and novelist
RelativesMuslim Qaratas Amer Al Mahri (father)

Life

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Mohammad Qaratas was born in Salalah during the time when the Dhofar War was at its height.[4] His father, Sheikh Muslim Qaratas Amer Al Mahri,[5] was one of the founding leaders of the national forces that fought alongside Sultan Qaboos.[6] In his book, SAS Operation Oman, English writer Tony Jeapes stated that he was one of the most important leaders in the war. He died several months before the victory was declared.

Education

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he received his education in his native city, Salalah, then attended the Faculty of Engineering at Sultan Qaboos University in Muscat and completed his studies there.[7] He worked for several years as a power plant engineer before going to Coventry University to earn an MSc in Engineering Business Management.[1][7] In addition, he wrote research on renewable energy in Oman, specifically in Dhofar, his project was approved by UNESCO's International Geoscience Programme Council.

Works

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Poetry

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Qaratas has three poetry collections. The first of which being:

  • What the Light Inherited, a poetry collection published by Al Intishar Al Arabi Publishing House, Beirut, 2013.[1]
  • Estrangement of the Arabian Sea, a poetry collection published by Ninawa Publishing House, Damascus, 2016.[1][8]

During his career, he visited many Arab and international countries participating in their international festivals,[1][9] here are some examples:

Novels

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His first novel, The Steps (original: al-Aʻtāb), was published by Saqi Books, Beirut in 2016.[1][12] Critics took an interest in the novel and several articles published in Arabic newspapers were written about it.

In addition, he has published many poems and literary articles[13][14] in regional and Arabic journals and newspapers.

Here are some examples:

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g "Mohammed Qaratas – The Poetic Heart". Retrieved 2021-05-09.
  2. ^ "محمد قراطاس". areq.net. Retrieved 2021-05-09.
  3. ^ برنامج واحة الشعر - محمد قراطاس, retrieved 2021-05-09
  4. ^ "رفي لمتعة القراءة - محمد قراطاس". www.raffy.me (in Arabic). Retrieved 2021-05-09.
  5. ^ "آخر الأحياء منهم يروي التفاصيل: حكاية السفراء الستة إلى مسقط ولقائهم بالسلطان قابوس بن سعيد" (in Arabic). 16 July 2020. Retrieved 2021-05-09.
  6. ^ "Sultan Qaboos - السلطان قابوس". Sultan Qaboos - السلطان قابوس (in Arabic). Retrieved 2021-05-09.
  7. ^ a b "سيرة الشاعر العماني محمد قرطاس". آفاق حرة للثقافة (in Arabic). 2020-10-27. Retrieved 2021-05-09.
  8. ^ "دار نينوى - شعر ونصوص - تغريبة بحر العرب". www.ninawa.org. Retrieved 2021-05-09.
  9. ^ "Leading Omani poets pay tributes to HM". Retrieved 2021-05-09 – via PressReader.
  10. ^ "Bait Al Zubair to celebrate National Day with poetry". Retrieved 2021-05-09 – via PressReader.
  11. ^ "Photography exhibition opens at Salalah Festival". Retrieved 2021-05-09 – via PressReader.
  12. ^ Qaratas, Mohammed. "الأعتاب | Bibliotheek Sint-Joost-Ten-Node". www.bibliotheek.be. Retrieved 2021-05-09.
  13. ^ "صحيفة الوطن الجزائري - محمد قراطاس ـ يا للمقاهي". 2018-10-06. Archived from the original on 2018-10-06. Retrieved 2021-05-09.
  14. ^ "(محمد قراطاس يكتب: (وطن السيوف" (in Arabic). 4 February 2018. Retrieved 2021-05-09.