Mahmoud Darwish (1941–2008)

Mahmoud Darwish was a Palestinian poet and author who wrote about the loss of homeland with poignancy and fervor. Journal of an Ordinary Grief is difficult to categorize as it blends autobiographical fiction, essay, and prose poetry. I found it difficult to read because it assumes a familiarity with Palestinian events and writers that I lack, and my copy of the book was missing the endnotes. But despite this, it was a beautiful and heartbreaking collection of writings that, unfortunately, feels as relevant today as it did in the 1970s.

Darwish was born in a village in the Western Galilee in 1941. During the Nakba, his family was forced to flee to Lebanon when his village was burned to the ground by the IDF. A year later they returned to the area, but because they had "voluntarily" left their land, they were never granted Israeli citizenship, and lived the rest of their lives as residents. This heightened Darwish's sense of displacement and resentment, and permeates the book.

I marked many passages, especially early in the book, either because they were beautifully written, or because the issues were thought-provoking. I particularly enjoyed his thoughts on memory and the role it plays both with Israelis and Palestinians. Recommended for those who are familiar with Darwish's poetry and want to learn more about his background, and for those who love poetry and wish to read about Palestinian-Israeli relations through that lens. Not recommended as an introduction to the conflict or those seeking a biography of Darwish.

Winner of the PEN Translation Prize in 2011.… (more)

The Butterfly's Burden by Mahmoud Darwish (translated by Fady Joudah) is a beautiful book of poetry that covers a wide variety of topics. I loved having the original Arabic poems and the English translations side-by-side. I was so amazed by the different lengths of some of the lines that I asked my husband to spot check a few of the translations. He said they were pretty accurate. Darwish has a way of writing about everyday occurrences in ways that make them feel magical and the magical in ways that make them feel accessible. The Butterfly's Burden expounds on the impact of humans on other humans as well as the world we inhabit with its honest reflections on how human beings move through the world for better or worse.… (more)