Matar's Quartet of Joy is a multilayered poetic composition in four elemental keys: earth, fire, water, and air. While exemplifying Egyptian ethos, the poems also evoke African landscapes, ancient Greek philosophy, Bedouin culture, Islamic folk rituals, classical Arabian verse, Koranic citations, and Sufi aphorisms to create a lyrical arabesque. The four sets of the volume create a musical structure that has the intimacy and the gracefulness of a quartet playing chamber music. The dazzling poetry is richly seeded with literary, political, and philosophical allusions. For the benefit of...