Analysing the work of the Palestinians’ ‘national poet’
Posted on 24 February 2009
An often controversial figure, Mahmoud Darwish was described as the ‘national poet’ of the Palestinian people while his extensive body of work won numerous international awards. Darwish’s death, in August last year at the age of 67, prompted three days of mourning in Gaza and the West Bank.
Mahmoud Darwish sang the full complexity of the Palestinian and Israeli predicaments. His death left a void in the global literary and cultural landscape
Dr Ziad Elmarsafy
A one-day symposium, hosted by the Department of English and Related Literature, will see experts from around the world use readings and critical analysis of Darwish’s poetry to explore the complex politics of the region.
Dr Ziad Elmarsafy, one of the event’s organisers, said: "Over the course of his life, while armies clashed and politicians talked in the Middle East, Mahmoud Darwish sang the full complexity of the Palestinian and Israeli predicaments. His death left a void in the global literary and cultural landscape.
"This event will commemorate the life and work of this rare poet, evaluating his legacy and relevance to a historical period still unable – or unwilling – to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict whose consequences have been all too clear in recent weeks.’
Guest speakers at the event will include Professor Barbara Harlow, from the University of Texas and Professor Patrick Williams, from Nottingham Trent University. Contributions from speakers from Egypt, Georgia, Finland, Gaza and Jordan have also been confirmed.
Poetry and Politics: In Memoriam Mahmoud Darwish will be held on 14 March, in Heslington Hall at the University of York.
ENDS
Notes to editors:
- Anyone interested in attending the event should contact Dr Elmarsafy via email at ze500@york.ac.uk or Dr Anna Bernard at ab609@york.ac.uk.
- The Department for English and Related Literature was rated the best in the UK for research in the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise.