The UNESCO Chair in Translating Cultures at the King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies (KFCRIS), supported by the Literature, Publishing and Translation Commission, is pleased to announce the publication of Tracing the Ether: Contemporary Poetry from Saudi Arabia in November 2025 through Syracuse University Press. The anthology was edited and introduced by UNESCO Chair Moneera Al-Ghadeer and translated from Arabic to English by Moneera Al-Ghadeer (KFCRIS), Christina Civantos (University of Miami), Emily Drumsta (University of Texas), William Granara (Harvard University), Waïl S. Hassan (University of Illinois), Nashwa Nasreldin (Poetry Translation Centre), Yaseen Noorani (University of Arizona), and Anna Ziajka Stanton (Penn State University). The book cover features a painting by Saudi artist Shadia Alem.

An expansive bilingual anthology, Tracing the Ether showcases twenty-six acclaimed Saudi poets who are reimagining their place in our interconnected, digital world. The book challenges the long-standing centrality of pre-Islamic poetry in the study of Arabic poetics, shifting attention to other themes through sixty-two contemporary poems that engage boldly with topics that include technology, cyberspace, globalization, and language. These poets—many of them recipients of prestigious literary awards—employ inventive techniques and imaginative frameworks to probe the ways in which social media and digital culture are reshaping concepts of homeland, identity, and cultural borders. Their work shows that, far from simply echoing Western models, Saudi poets are forging unique voices that speak to universal human experiences while remaining deeply rooted in their local cultural context.

The anthology’s title, Tracing the Ether, resonates with a profound historical and conceptual depth. ‘Ether’ evokes both a classical philosophical substance once believed to bind the cosmos and the immaterial networks of radio waves that structure our contemporary realities. The act of ‘tracing’ echoes the nomadic practices of inscription and movement across the Arabian Peninsula, as well as the pre-Islamic tradition of charting absence through language. Instead of tracing ancestral histories or abandoned campsites, however, these innovative poets trace encounters with technology and navigate a rapidly changing global landscape. UNESCO Chair Moneera Al-Ghadeer emphasized that by bringing important poetic voices to a global audience, Tracing the Ether contributes to a richer, more nuanced understanding of modern Arabic literature and its place in world literature.  

Tracing the Ether has been praised by acclaimed authors for its innovative thematic focus. Lila Abu-Lughod, Professor of Anthropology at Columbia University and author of Veiled Sentiments: Honor and Poetry in a Bedouin Society, writes that “This stunning anthology of contemporary millennial poetry from Saudi Arabia breaks open for an English-speaking public a remarkably vibrant, fresh, and worldly literary universe." Michael Allen, Associate Professor of Comparative Literature and author of In the Shadow of World Literature, comments that “This expertly curated collection charts an enlightening journey on every page. A testament to the power of the written word, the poems transit formally across generations and transitionally between Arabic and English. The fusion of pop culture, technology, and global perspectives provides a visionary and forward-looking path for Arabic poetry.” Susan Bassnett, Professor of Translation Studies at the University of Glasgow and editor of Translation and World Literature, says that the anthology "offers a unique opportunity for English-speaking readers to discover some of the exciting new work by contemporary Saudi Arabian poets.”