Poetry. Translated from the Arabic by Nazih Kassis. The first-ever English collection by this major Palestinian poet. Born in 1939, al-Qasim first achieved fame as one of the celebrated "resistance poets" and over the decades he has produced a body of work that is as varied and innovative as it is large. This volume collects poems from his various periods and modes (short, long, lyrical, caustic) and finally makes available to English readers the full range of al-Qasim's oeuvre. An outspoken opponent of racism and oppression on all sides of the Middle East conflict, al-Qasim is a major figure in the Arab world. A must for anyone interested in world literature.

Author Hometown: Rama ISR



About the author: Samih al-Qasim was born in 1939 in Zarqa, Jordan, to Palestinian Druze parents from the Galilee. He grew up in the village of Rama in northern Palestine and was a leading figure of the "resistance poets" of the 1950s. He has written over thirty books of poetry, several novels, collections of plays and essays. Al-Qasim worked as an editor for the Ghad and Ittihad newspapers and is editor-in-chief of the Israeli Arab newspaper Koull El Arab. He is a citizen of Israel and also resides in Rama.

Reviews:
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/indepth_coverage/entertainment/poetry/profiles/poet_alqasim.html