Maḥmūd Darwīsh

"Darwish is to be read with urgency, in the night, when nothing else moves but his lines." ?The Village Voice By one of the most transcendent poets of this generation, a remarkable collection of prose poems that explores themes of love, pain, isolation, and connection. In this self-eulogy written in the final years of Mahmoud Darwish's life, Palestine becomes a metaphor for the injustice and pain of our contemporary moment. Mahmoud Darwish (1941-2008) was one of the most acclaimed poets in the Arab world. His poetry collections include Why Did You Leave the Horse Alone? and A River Dies of Thirst (Archipelago Books). In 2001 Darwish was awarded the Lannan Cultural Freedom Prize.

In the Presence of Absence

sani

“what kind of a linguistic or legal wunderkind could formulate a peace treaty and good neighborliness between a palace and a shack, between a guard and a prisoner?”


this book by mahmoud darwish was so sad, so melancholic as it talked about palestine and it was in itself a masterpiece. the quotes. the words. the sentiments. i’m gonna ugly sob because his words are so precious.

Claudia Sinclair.

❝ How many times must I travel, migrate, or depart? And for your fate the distinction between traveling, migration, and departure never became clear, because words can encompass so much of the illusion of synonyms, and because metaphor is often subject to transformation: from “my homeland is not a suitcase” to “my homeland is a suitcase. ❞

❝ We, who have no existence in “the Promised Land,” became the ghost of the murdered who haunted the killer in both wakefulness and sleep, and the realm in-between, leaving him troubled and despondent. ❞
Darwish talked about his life and journey in Palestine, and also he depicted everything he encountered during the Nakbah, I—  I don’t know what to say but this poetry was so heartbreakingly and tragically beautiful. I took a moment fo finish this book because I wanted to let everything in this book sink me in.

eliz

4.5 o 5


  "When asleep, you are your own overlord and sovereign. Alive, but without life's burdens."


  "...you tell reality: You are only a figment, and tell imagination: You are the only reality I can depend on."


  "You lived at zero, perhaps less, perhaps more."


one of the most difficult things I have read this year and in my entire reading journey generally. challenging to a great extent but always worth the time delving through the meaning behind the metaphors thrown down on every corner of every chapter. it's either you get lost in between words and sentences or find yourself floating on top of them and see it through with outmost clarity. I think the best way to understand the context/sense of this whole thing is to consume the writing yourself first-hand and let the writing consume you.

more excerpts:
"And you must defend the discrete letters of your name as a cat would its kittens. Do what you must: defend the window's right to look at passerby. Do not ridicule yourself if you are incapable of providing proof."
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"Letters are restless, hungry or an image, and the image is thirsty for a meaning. [...] Rub one letter against another and a star is born. Bring a letter close to another and you can hear the sound of rain."
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"You are you, and more.
You are you, and less. 
You are you and not you at the same time."
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"Are we what we do with time, or are we what time does with us? Finding a response does not interest you as much as slowing down time. You do not want this autumn to end, just as you do not want the poem to grow to fullness and end. You do not want to reach winter. Let autumn be your private eternity."
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"Death does not pain the dead, it pains the living."
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"Longing lies and never tires of lying, because it lies honestly."
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"Are you what you were, or what you are now? You fear you will forget tomorrow while mired in the question: In which time do I live?"

In the Presence of Absence

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