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rosepoints's review against another edition
5.0
i've loved mahmoud darwish's poetry ever since i first discovered his poetry in 2015, but i don't think i've ever read any of his writing or interviews outside of his poems. his interviews and his way of speaking is just as lyrical as his poetry, and it comes through so clearly and gorgeously in spite of the translations (one interview goes from hebrew to french to english and the others are translated from arabic).
in the interviews, darwish reflects back on his poetry and discusses the themes of his work, his connection to the palestinian cause, the influence of exile on his poetry, and his writing process. i found it fascinating to see this glimpse of the poet and i feel like i can better understand his poetry now. there was a moment where he talks about palestinian literature and poetry and how it's not necessarily included in with the rest of the arab world. specifically, he quotes, "if the critic speaks of the palestinian cause, he would also speak of palestinian poetry. but if he speaks of arab poetry, he wouldn't speak of the poetry of the palestinians." i was not previously aware of how the palestinian cause exists separately from that of the arab nations and how there are distinctions made between the two until i read "the hundred years' war on palestine" by rashid khalidi. although darwish makes the point that he is not exclusively the figurehead of the palestinian cause, i still thought it was an interesting point that he made, both on his work and on what academics deem to be literature.
i also thought that the interview with helit yeshurun was particularly interesting and salient, especially considering the ongoing genocide in gaza. despite the interview being transcribed onto paper, the tension was palpable between the interviewer and interviewee. here, darwish makes several points that really stuck with me. first, he talks about hebrew vs yiddish, specifically in how the state of israel chose a textual language like hebrew rather than the more colloquial, communal yiddish as the national language and how it contributes towards the national israeli identity. that was something i hadn't really thought about before. second, he points out how the state of israel attempts to be the victor and victim at the same time, terming it an "israeli monopoly." third, he talks about how translations are political, particularly in regards to the hebrew translations of his work. the example he brings up is his poem, "flower of pomegranate", being translated to "grenade" in hebrew, which transforms the meaning of his poem. that interview left me thinking for a long, long time and remains relevant today.
genuinely a thought-provoking read, highly recommend.
in the interviews, darwish reflects back on his poetry and discusses the themes of his work, his connection to the palestinian cause, the influence of exile on his poetry, and his writing process. i found it fascinating to see this glimpse of the poet and i feel like i can better understand his poetry now. there was a moment where he talks about palestinian literature and poetry and how it's not necessarily included in with the rest of the arab world. specifically, he quotes, "if the critic speaks of the palestinian cause, he would also speak of palestinian poetry. but if he speaks of arab poetry, he wouldn't speak of the poetry of the palestinians." i was not previously aware of how the palestinian cause exists separately from that of the arab nations and how there are distinctions made between the two until i read "the hundred years' war on palestine" by rashid khalidi. although darwish makes the point that he is not exclusively the figurehead of the palestinian cause, i still thought it was an interesting point that he made, both on his work and on what academics deem to be literature.
i also thought that the interview with helit yeshurun was particularly interesting and salient, especially considering the ongoing genocide in gaza. despite the interview being transcribed onto paper, the tension was palpable between the interviewer and interviewee. here, darwish makes several points that really stuck with me. first, he talks about hebrew vs yiddish, specifically in how the state of israel chose a textual language like hebrew rather than the more colloquial, communal yiddish as the national language and how it contributes towards the national israeli identity. that was something i hadn't really thought about before. second, he points out how the state of israel attempts to be the victor and victim at the same time, terming it an "israeli monopoly." third, he talks about how translations are political, particularly in regards to the hebrew translations of his work. the example he brings up is his poem, "flower of pomegranate", being translated to "grenade" in hebrew, which transforms the meaning of his poem. that interview left me thinking for a long, long time and remains relevant today.
genuinely a thought-provoking read, highly recommend.
sseadgnr's review against another edition
informative
reflective
medium-paced
mahmoud darwish’s intelligence doesn’t fail to amaze me.
austindoherty's review against another edition
4.0
"In Masharif, you say: "Geography is stronger in history than history in geography." What do you mean by that?"
"It's a defense of place, for place, in itself, is neutral despite a thousand years of wind and rain. Place receives all those who come. It's cynical. I was talking about place, which is stronger than all that happens on the land in the historical process. History is a point of observation, of ghosts, of the "I," of the Other, in a complicated human procession."
"It's a defense of place, for place, in itself, is neutral despite a thousand years of wind and rain. Place receives all those who come. It's cynical. I was talking about place, which is stronger than all that happens on the land in the historical process. History is a point of observation, of ghosts, of the "I," of the Other, in a complicated human procession."
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