A Critique and New Look into the Emergence of Modern Poetry in Iraq

Emergence of any literary movement, whether poetry or prose, needs a suitable environment. Appearance of epic among the Greek and the Iranian implies this fact that birth of each literary phenomenon is impossible in vaccum atmosphere, but they need special circumstances and means for their development and evolution. Movement of free verse developing in Arabic lands was in fact reaction to artistic, social, political and cultural needs of these countries. Birth of this movement was in Iraq but not in other Arabic states because this country had higher ability and readiness for it in addition to a rich literary heritage due to dominance of autocracy and colonialism than other Arabic countries. However it seems that the main and distinct reason for birth of free peotry in Iraq has been its pioneer's ability to be influenced by movements which dominated European and western literature, though it may be possible that literary men of this country have known about Persian free verse and its evolutions which has been more due to Iraqi modern peotry.