[1] His poetic style combines simplicity and elegance in exploring themes of love, eroticism, religion, and Arab empowerment against foreign imperialism and local dictators.

Nizar Qabbani was born in the Syrian capital of Damascus to a middle class merchant family.

[4] In light of this controversy, Qabbani showed the book to Munir al-Ajlani, the minister of education who was also a friend of his father and a leading nationalist leader in Syria.

After graduating from law school, Qabbani worked for the Syrian Foreign Ministry, serving as Consul or cultural attaché in several capital cities, including Beirut, Cairo, Istanbul, Madrid, and London.

In 1959, when the United Arab Republic was formed, Qabbani was appointed Vice-Secretary of the UAR for its embassies in China.

[6] When asked whether he was a revolutionary, the poet answered: “Love in the Arab world is like a prisoner, and I want to set (it) free.

The relationships between men and women in our society are not healthy.” In 1981, Qabbani’s wife, Balqees, died in a bombing in Beirut, Lebanon, during the Lebanese civil war.

[8] However, Qabbani expressed his love for all Arab citizens and cities from Mauritania extending to Iraq as one people connected by the same struggle and a rich past.

In the second stanza of Umm al-Mu'tazz he said: "Every Arab city is my mother, Damascus, Beirut, Cairo, Baghdad, Khartoum, Casablanca, Benghazi, Tunis, Amman, Riyadh, Kuwait, Algiers, Abu Dhabi, and their sisters: These are my family tree.

The latter, Sabah Qabbani, became the director of Syrian radio and TV in 1960 and served as Syria's ambassador to the United States in the 1980s.

His father had a chocolate factory; he also helped support fighters resisting the French Mandate for Syria and the Lebanon and was imprisoned many times for his views, greatly affecting the upbringing of Nizar into a revolutionary in his own right.

[10] The family name, Qabbani, is derived from Qabban (Arabic: قبان) which means steelyard balance.

"[15] He was mourned by Arabs all over the world, with international news broadcasts highlighting his illustrious literary career.

Over the course of a half-century, Qabbani wrote 34 other books of poetry, including: He also composed many works of prose, such as My Story with Poetry قصتي مع الشعر, What Poetry Is ما هو الشعر, and Words Know Anger الكلمات تعرف الغضب, On Poetry, Sex, and Revolution عن الشعر والجنس والثورة, Poetry is a Green Lantern الشعر قنديل أخضر, Birds Don't Require a Visa العصافير لا تطلب تأشيرة دخول, I Played Perfectly and Here are my Keys لعبت بإتقان وها هي مفاتيحي and The Woman in My Poetry and My Life المرأة في شعري وفي حياتي, as well as one play named Republic of Madness Previously Lebanon جمهورية جنونستان لبنان سابقا and lyrics of many famous songs of celebrated Arab singers, including: And his verses would remain popular after his death, and put to song by Arab pop-music stars such as Kazem al-Saher and Latifa.

Many of Qabbani's poems have also been translated into English and other foreign languages, both individually and as collections of selected works.