"The most celebrated writer of verse in the Arab world."
–Adam Shatz, The New York Times
Poetry from former national poet of Palestine, illustrated by original drawings by John Berger
Mahmoud Darwish was the Palestinian national poet. One of the greatest poets of the last half century, his work evokes the loss of his homeland and is suffused with the pain of dispossession and exile. His poems display a brilliant acuity, a passion for and openness to the world and, above all, a deep and abiding humanity. Here, his close friends John Berger and Rema Hammami present a beautiful new translation of two of Darwish’s later works: his long masterpiece Mural, a contemplation of his life and work written following life-threatening surgery, and his last poem, The Dice Player, which Darwish read in Ramallah a month before his death.
Illustrated with original drawings by John Berger, Mural is a testimony to one of the most important and powerful poets of our age.
"Darwish’s poetry is an epic effort to transform the lyrics of loss into the indefinitely postponed drama of return."
—Edward Said
"The most celebrated writer of verse in the Arab world."
—Adam Shatz, The New York Times
"The translation is very fine . . . It's a joy to read and among the very best Palestinian literature."
—Raja Shehadeh, author of Palestinian Walks
"Did as much as anyone to forge a Palestinian national consciousness."
—Peter Clark, The Guardian
"an exquisitely designed book, enhanced by several of Berger's evocative drawings ... Mural is a spiraling and circuitous poem, alive with swerves and sly twists, moving along corridors that dead-end only to open out unexpectedly into detours and hidden passageways. That single adjective, conspicuous in Darwish's spare style, presages the very structure of Mural."
—Eric Ormsby, Bookforum
"The conundrum of what is individual and what is collective, and inevitably political, is inescapable for both Darwish and his readers. But the primary concern of Mural is emphatically the question of identity."
—The Hudson Review
About the Author
Mahmoud Darwish (1942–2008) published some thirty books of poetry and prose and has been translated into thirty-five languages. His many international awards include the Lenin Peace Prize and the Lannan Foundation Prize for Cultural Freedom.
Storyteller, novelist, essayist, screenwriter, dramatist and critic, John Berger (1926–2017) was one of the most internationally influential writers of the last fifty years. His many books include Ways of Seeing; the fiction trilogy Into Their Labours; Here Is Where We Meet; the Booker Prize–winning novel G; Hold Everything Dear; the Man Booker–longlisted From A to X; and A Seventh Man.
Rema Hammami is professor at the Institute for Women’s Studies at Birzeit University, Ramallah.
