Abu’l Qasim As’ad ibn Billita lived and wrote  from approximately 1050 - 1100 in Andalusia, an area located in the south of Spain. Poetry was an integral element of Andalusian life during that time; it was written and read by virtually everyone and tended to be intensely emotional in content,  but spare and stark in its wording. It was the custom of Andalusian poets to gather and read their poems aloud for entertainment, much like our poetry readings today. If someone in attendance was inspired by what he heard, he would often compose and share the resultant poem on the spot.