Salīm Barakāt is one of the most prolific modern Arab writers. He published his first poetry collection in 1973 and has since produced several more in addition to novels, essays, and autobiographical works. Despite living outside the Arab world since 1982, Barakāt’s literary output is closely connected to his Kurdish roots, and the culture and traditions of his birthplace in northern Syria. Barakāt’s inventive language, original narrative style and fantastical plots have placed him in the forefront of Arab literary modernism. His unconventional technique and mixture of styles and genres have at times made critics unable to describe his work in common literary terms, which in turn has given him the reputation of a renovator of the Arabic novel.