Mahmoud Darwish's work has long been considered seminal in shaping modern Arabic poetry. He has received wide international recognition and is regarded as a contender for the Nobel Prize. Often deemed the "Poet of the Resistance," no substantial critical study exists that addresses the complexity of Darwish's poetry in rewriting the homeland and articulating exile. His later poetry consciously marks a move away from his earlier portrayals of identity, home, and poetry, yet many critics have failed to take note of this shift. His oeuvre yokes poetry and history, the political and the poetic, probing identities in perpetual exile.
This book examines the complex connections between poetry, myth, lyric, prose, and history in Darwish's poetry. The scholarly articles in this volume situate his work in relation to both modern Arabic and world poetry. In addition, the articles address issues such as the future of poetry, the role of the poet, language, cultural heritage, lyrical modes, as well as the relationship of place and identity.
Hala Khamis Nassar is an assistant professor of modern Arabic culture and literature at Yale University. She is at work on a book about Palestinian theater and the culture of martyrdom.
Najat Rahman is assistant professor of comparative literature at the University of Montreal. Her work explores Mahmoud Darwish's poetry in relation to contemporary articulations of home.