Abdulkareem Hamad al-Odah

Abdulkareem Hamad al-Odah (born 1953) is a writer and poet considered one of the pioneers of modern poetry in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. He previously worked at the Ministry of Media, the Ministry of Higher Education (currently the Ministry of Education), and the King Fahd National Library.

Abdulkareem al-Odah was born in Buraydah, Qassim Province, in the center of the Kingdom. He completed his school years, up to secondary education, in his hometown. He then moved to Riyadh and enrolled in the College of Arabic Language at Imam Mohammed Bin Saud Islamic University, earning a bachelor's degree in Arabic language sciences and literature in 1974.

Abdulkareem al-Odah began his professional career in 1974 when he joined the Ministry of Media and was appointed as Chief Supervisor of Publications, a position he held for five years. He then moved to the General Organization for Social Insurance, where he worked as an inspector for four years from 1979 to 1982.

He moved to work at the Ministry of Higher Education (at the time) for nine years, starting in 1982. During this period, he served at the Saudi Cultural Mission in the United States, then as Editor-in-Chief of "al-Mubtaath" magazine, and later as Media Advisor at the Office of the Undersecretary.

In 1991, he joined the King Fahd National Library, where he served as Director of Media and Public Relations, then as Director of the Periodicals Department, followed by Director of the Collection Development Department, and later as Director of the Publications and Publishing Department. He remained there until his retirement.

Abdulkareem al-Odah began writing for local newspapers in 1974 and is considered one of the pioneers of modern poetry in the Kingdom. His poetic style shifted from the traditional structure of verses to a focus on metrical unity. He adopted an approach characterized by organized stream-of-consciousness, intensive internal dialogue, the use of symbolism, and intertextual references to heritage. As one of the key figures who contributed to this field, his poems, and writings were published in local and Gulf newspapers and are regarded as works that brought significant changes to the trajectory of poetry in the Kingdom.