Born: 1968, Tal Al-Asmar, Bzaiz Khreisan, Iraq
Hamed Abdul Majmai was born in 1968 in a small rural house in the Tal Al-Asmar area in Bzaiz Khreisan. His literary education began with his grandfather and father’s host, Abdul Muhammad, and continued with his grandmother’s imaginative stories. Growing up amidst the echoes of ancient civilizations, such as Ashnouna, he was deeply influenced by his environment. After his middle school education, he entered a technical institute but did not graduate due to frustration over the lack of job opportunities for those with certificates.
He began his literary career as an art enthusiast, joining the Baqubah Youth Lights Troupe, directed by Dr. Ibrahim Al-Nima. Majmai’s professional poetic journey began when he became a member of the Popular Poets Association in Diyala. He worked alongside prominent poets like Jassim Al-Hanoud, Ayoub Al-Ubaidi, Ibrahim Ramadan, and Haider Al-Hussaini. He studied under the great writer and broadcaster Saadoun Shafiq Saeed, whom he considers his spiritual father.
He has been involved with numerous Arab and international cultural organizations and has held leadership roles in the following:
- President of the Arab Creators Association, Iraq Branch
- Deputy of the World Creators Association
- Vice President of the Popular Poets Association
- Ambassador of Arab Creators for Literature, Culture, and Media
- Founder of the Balalama International News Agency for Culture and Arts (later Add International News Agency)
- Chairman and Editor-in-Chief of Sada Al-Thaqafa Magazine
- Founding member of the Iraqi Journalists and Media Union
Majmai has published hundreds of articles and poems in numerous newspapers and websites across the Arab world, including Al-Qadisiyah, Al-Thawra, Al-Jumhuriya, Maja, Alif Ba, Al-Rasid, and many others. He has worked as editor-in-chief for various publications, including Sawt Al-Ahrar, Awraq Thaqafiya, Al-Sabah, and Al-Sabah Al-Jadeed. He is a well-known figure in the Arab literary and media landscape and has received numerous awards for his contributions.
His works have been recognized in various countries, and he has published in newspapers and websites in Kosovo, Italy, Germany, Belgium, Norway, Tajikistan, Bangladesh, Albania, and Turkey. He holds honorary doctoral degrees from several prestigious institutions and has received multiple certificates of appreciation, letters of thanks, and awards for his creativity and contributions to literature and media.
Poem by Hamed Abdul Muhammad Al-Majmai
Hunger Pins
Between the pores of papyrus
My body creeps
Carrying thorns
Desert camels stand at the bottom of the marsh
Devouring pins of hunger
Souls of fish petrified
Drought of death eats the wings of birds
Pollution invades
Souls
Heart weighs it down
Pulse
Feelings salted with the burning of screams
Hardened
The roots of poisons awaken
Their strength
Eyes bulge
Thirst
Begging for what remains of
Hope…
