Adnan al-Sayegh, a 54-year-old from al-Kufah, a city on the banks of the Euphrates, has been exiled from his homeland since 1996, when his poem Uruk's Anthem, an indictment of Saddam Hussein's Iraq, led to him being sentenced to death.
He fled to Sweden, then in 2004 to London.
On November 29 he will perform a reading at Tongues&Grooves Poetry and Music Club at Southsea's The Florence Arms.
Tongues&Grooves chairwoman Maggie Sawkins said: 'It's fantastic Adnan will be here. We're really looking forward to it.
'He has been described as one of the most original voices of Iraqi poets, and his work has been translated into many languages, so we are really very eager to meet him and hear him read.'
The event starts at 8pm and runs until 10.30pm.
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