Abd al-Wahab al-Bayati is one of the most popular poets in the Arab world and a leading Iraqi poet. He is a leader of the social-realist school of poetry. Born in poverty in Baghdad, he writes poetry of strong political content. An avowed Communist and antiroyalist, he lived in exile during the years of the monarchy in Iraq. After graduation from university, he became a teacher and later moved into the field of journalism. His work first began to appear in the early 1950s. A proponent of the new poetry movement, his verse employs simple language and regular rhyme. Some critics have commented that his technique is loose, but his poetry is recognized for its sincerity and often tender approach to life. It has said that more than any other Arab poet al-Bayati has helped to break down the walls which separate the speakers of Arabic from the outside world.
