Arabic, Middle Eastern, and Pakistani poets every Western reader should know
I’m Pakistani, and I grew up on poetry from a part of the world the West rarely teaches. Nizar Qabbani shaped me before I knew the word “shaped.” Faiz Ahmed Faiz was in my house before I could read. These are the poets — Arab, Persian, Pakistani, and across the Middle Eastern diaspora — whose work has carried entire generations through love, exile, war, and longing. If you’ve only ever read Rumi (and only the sanitized version), this list is your next chapter. Sections below for Pakistani poets, Arab poets, Persian classics, contemporary diaspora voices, and where to start if you’re brand new to this world.