The literary journal al-Adab was established in Beirut in 1953. This avant-garde journal was open to all forms of literary experimentation and to all views on poetry, fiction and drama. al-Adab advocated for a combination of existential and pan-Arab ideas and was dedicated to the concept of ‘commitment literature’ (al-adab al-multazim) or literary commitment (iltizam al-adab). It was heavily influenced by Jean Paul Sartre and existentialism.