Emirati poet Ahmad Rashid Thani dies, aged 49

Emirati poet Ahmad Rashid Thani died Monday after a battle with a chronic disease.

He was 49 years old.

Thani was born in Khor Fakkan in 1963. He started to compose poetry in the late 1970s. He graduated from UAE University in 1985.

In 1981, Thani released his first collection of poetry in vernacular Arabic. He republished it in 1990s after adding new poems, including “O! You Eat Dates… You Collect Gold”.

Later, he released other collections, namely Drowning Verge, Morning Sits Next to Sea” “Then Night Comes And Takes Me”, “Blood of the Candle”, “The Edge of the Rooms”.

His poems were translated into French and German and were published in local and Arabic newspapers and magazines. Thani participated in several poetry events and festivals in the UAE and Arab world.

He worked as a journalist and in many cultural organizations in the country. Thani was a playwright, and has carried out research on local heritage and oral culture. He wrote several play scripts, and was a critic regarding all his surroundings.

He also wrote a collection of poetry, titled ‘Sand Seat’, which was published by Qalam, an initiative launched by the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage to promote the works of prominent Emirati poets.