One of his friends, Ahmed Abdel-Moeti Hegazi, said urban centers of "hotels and institutions, cafés and airports" were actually his temporary residences.

One example is a poem by Al-Bayati entitled "A’isha's Mad Lover" in his book, Love Poems on the Seven Gates of the World (1971): "In this context Al-Bayati’s poetry becomes Sufi in default, since he assumes the position as a modernist whose aspirations for an earthy paradise have not materialized.

"[2] This site is an archived BBC article on the military coup d'état in 1958 that allowed al-Bayyati to briefly return to Iraq.The author interviews al-Bayyati, who discusses with great feeling his ideas on the craft of writing, on religion, on women and on the politics that have shaped his life.

An extended obituary for al-Bayyati is also included at the bottom of the page.A short poem and drawing in memory of al-Bayyati by celebrated Egyptian artist and cartoonist George Bahgory.This article examines work by modern Arabic poets in terms of historical and political events.

His review also offers an abridged historical commentary on the work of several poets included in the book.A BBC special in honor of Remembrance Sunday, BBC World services correspondent Lawrence Pollard examines the ways that war inspires poets and writers the world over.