Abstract

Muṣṭafa Wahbī al-Tall (1897–1949), commonly known by his pen name ‘Arār, is no doubt Jordan’s national poet, an intellectual, a sagacious politician, and governor. His poetry tackles issues related to the sensual pleasures of the body, including love, debauchery, fornication, wine, and drunkenness. During his rather short life, he enjoyed the scandalous fame of spending most of his time among the gypsies. Maxwell Bodenheim (1892–1954) was a Jewish American bohemian poet and novelist, who was called “The Village Rogue” for forming literary circles at street corners of Greenwich Village in Manhattan, New York. This study aims to shed light on the poetic style of both ‘Arār and Bodenheim with a view to drawing parallels and contrasts between both poets, taking into consideration their biographies and bohemian lifestyles.