Poetry is not only a set of words which are chosen to relate to each other; it is something which goes much further than that to provide a glimpse of our vision of the world.

I read a poem every night, as others read a prayer.

To lead a country, you must periodically hold a national consultation in which people representing different programmes can make a bid for power.

I am a guest of the French language. My poems in French are born of my interaction with the French language, which is not the same as that of a French poet.

In the 70s I was in exile; every time I went back I wondered if they'd take my passport away.

I am glad to have found a readership, but one can’t write only what is likely to sell. A writer is not a shopkeeper. A writer creates an imaginary world that he transmits to others.

I do not use the language of my people. I can take liberties with certain themes which the Arabic language would not allow me to take.