Mahmoud Darwish - Political Activists, Timeline and Childhood
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Mahmoud Darwish's Personal Details
Mahmoud Darwish was a Palestinian poet and one of the leading artists of the Arab world who gave voice to the struggles of his people
| Information | Detail |
|---|---|
| Birthday | March 13, 1941 |
| Died on | August 9, 2008 |
| Nationality | Palestinian |
| Famous | Activists, Political Activists, Poets |
| Known as | Maḥmūd Darwīsh |
| Universities |
|
| Birth Place | Al-Birwa |
| Religion | Islam |
| Gender | Male |
| Sun Sign | Pisces |
| Born in | Al-Birwa |
| Famous as | Poet |
| Died at Age | 67 |
// Famous Activists
Mahmoud Darwish's photo
Who is Mahmoud Darwish?
Mahmoud Darwish was a Palestinian poet and one of the leading artists of the Arab world who gave voice to the struggles of his people. He received international acclaim for his poetry which mostly focused on the strong affection for a lost homeland. Born to a family of landowners, his family fled to Lebanon upon the establishment of Israel and stayed there for a year, before secretly re-entering Israel and settling down. After completing his secondary education, he began publishing poetry and articles for newspapers and magazines, later serving as their editor. After that, he moved to Cairo and Beirut, where he worked in the research and publishing institutes of the PLO, from which he resigned following the Oslo Accords. His poetry became much sophisticated over the years and he gained international fame. One of the central themes of his poetry was the concept of homeland and his poetry was characterized by the honesty of his emotions and the novelty of his poetic images. In his long and flourishing career, he published around 30 collections of poetry and prose, which were translated into more than two dozen languages. His poems received positive response throughout the Arab world, and several of them were put to music. He earned numerous awards for his marvelous literary works, and the honor of being the Palestinian national poet was bestowed upon him.
// Famous Political Activists
Childhood & Early Life
Mahmoud Darwish was born on March 13, 1941, in the village of al-Birwa in the Western Galilee, to Salim, and his wife, Houreyyah Darwish. He was the second of the eight children of his parents.
In 1948, his family fled to Lebanon after Israeli forces assaulted his village of al-Birwa. A year later, the family returned to the Acre area, which was now part of Israel, and settled in Deir al-Asad.
He received his early education from a high school in Kafr Yasif, two kilometers north of Jadeidi, and later moved to Haifa.
At the age of 19, he published his first book of poetry, ‘Asafir bila ajniha’ or ‘Wingless Birds’. Initially, he published his poems in ‘Al Jadid’, the literary periodical of the Israeli Communist Party, later serving as its editor.
Career
Mahmoud Darwish became an assistant editor of ‘Al Fajr’, a literary periodical published by the Israeli Workers Party. During the 1960s he was a member of Rakah, the Israeli communist party, and later joined the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) in Beirut.
In 1970, he left Israel to study in the USSR. He studied at the University of Moscow for one year before moving to Egypt and Lebanon.
In 1971, he moved to Cairo where he worked for ‘al-Ahram’, a daily newspaper.
In 1973, he edited the monthly ‘Shu'un Filistiniyya’ in Beirut and worked as director in the Palestinian Research Center of the PLO. When he joined the PLO, he was banned from reentering Israel.
During the difficult times of the Lebanon War, he wrote political poems such as ‘Qasidat Bayrut’ (1982) and ‘Madih al-zill al'ali’ (1983).
In 1987, he was elected to the PLO Executive Committee, a post he served in for the next six years. He resigned from the post following the Oslo accords, in 1993.
Mahmoud Darwish published over 30 volumes of poetry and eight books of prose. Some of his poetry collections include ‘The Music of Human Flesh’ ‘Why Did You Leave the Horse Alone?’, Psalms’, ‘The Adam of Two Edens’, ‘Stage of Siege’, and ‘The Butterfly’s Burden’.
Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers which served as anthems for at least two generations of Arabs.. These include: ‘Rita and the Rifle’, ‘Birds of Galilee’ and ‘I Yearn for my Mother's Bread’
Major Works
In 1998, Mahmoud Darwish published his first collection of love poems titled ‘Sareer el Ghariba (Bed of the Stranger)’.
In 2000, Mahmoud Darwish published ‘Jidariyya’ (Mural), a book about his near death experience. It depicts his encounter with death following a heart surgery in 1998.
Awards & Achievements
In 1969, he received ‘The Lotus Prize’ from the Union of Afro-Asian Writers.
In 1983, Mahmoud Darwish was awarded the ‘Lenin Peace Prize’ by the USSR.
In 1993, he was conferred with the title of ‘The Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters’ by France.
In 2001, he was presented with ‘The Lannan Foundation Prize for Cultural Freedom’.
In 2004, he became the winner of ‘Prince Claus Awards’.
In 2007, he won the ‘Golden Wreath of Struga Poetry Evenings’ and ‘The International Forum for Arabic Poetry prize’.
Personal Life & Legacy
Mahmoud Darwish was first married to Rana Kabbani, a writer, whom he later divorced. Later, in the mid-1980s, he married Hayat Heeni, an Egyptian translator. He had no children from either marriage.
He had a history of heart problems and suffered a cardiac arrest in 1984. He underwent two heart operations, in 1984 and 1998.
Mahmoud Darwish died on August 9, 2008, three days after yet another heart surgery in Houston, Texas. He was 67 years old. His body was buried at Ramallah's Palace of Culture.
// Famous Poets
Mahmoud Darwish awards
| Year | Name | Award |
|---|---|---|
Other | ||
| The Lannan Foundation Prize for Cultural Freedom - 2001 | ||
| Prince Claus Awards - 2004 | ||
| The Lotus Prize - 1969-from the Union of Afro-Asian Writers | ||
| Lenin Peace Prize - 1983-from the USSR | ||
| The Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters - 1993-from France | ||
Mahmoud Darwish biography timelines
- // 13th Mar 1941Mahmoud Darwish was born on March 13, 1941, in the village of al-Birwa in the Western Galilee, to Salim, and his wife, Houreyyah Darwish. He was the second of the eight children of his parents.
- // 1948In 1948, his family fled to Lebanon after Israeli forces assaulted his village of al-Birwa. A year later, the family returned to the Acre area, which was now part of Israel, and settled in Deir al-Asad.
- // 1969In 1969, he received ‘The Lotus Prize’ from the Union of Afro-Asian Writers.
- // 1970In 1970, he left Israel to study in the USSR. He studied at the University of Moscow for one year before moving to Egypt and Lebanon.
- // 1971In 1971, he moved to Cairo where he worked for ‘al-Ahram’, a daily newspaper.
- // 1973In 1973, he edited the monthly ‘Shu'un Filistiniyya’ in Beirut and worked as director in the Palestinian Research Center of the PLO. When he joined the PLO, he was banned from reentering Israel.
- // 1982 To 1983During the difficult times of the Lebanon War, he wrote political poems such as ‘Qasidat Bayrut’ (1982) and ‘Madih al-zill al'ali’ (1983).
- // 1983In 1983, Mahmoud Darwish was awarded the ‘Lenin Peace Prize’ by the USSR.
- // 1984 To 1998He had a history of heart problems and suffered a cardiac arrest in 1984. He underwent two heart operations, in 1984 and 1998.
- // 1987 To 1993In 1987, he was elected to the PLO Executive Committee, a post he served in for the next six years. He resigned from the post following the Oslo accords, in 1993.
- // 1993In 1993, he was conferred with the title of ‘The Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters’ by France.
- // 1998In 1998, Mahmoud Darwish published his first collection of love poems titled ‘Sareer el Ghariba (Bed of the Stranger)’.
- // 1998 To 2000In 2000, Mahmoud Darwish published ‘Jidariyya’ (Mural), a book about his near death experience. It depicts his encounter with death following a heart surgery in 1998.
- // 2001In 2001, he was presented with ‘The Lannan Foundation Prize for Cultural Freedom’.
- // 2004In 2004, he became the winner of ‘Prince Claus Awards’.
- // 2007In 2007, he won the ‘Golden Wreath of Struga Poetry Evenings’ and ‘The International Forum for Arabic Poetry prize’.
- // 9th Aug 2008Mahmoud Darwish died on August 9, 2008, three days after yet another heart surgery in Houston, Texas. He was 67 years old. His body was buried at Ramallah's Palace of Culture.
// Pisces Celebrities
Mahmoud Darwish's FAQ
What is Mahmoud Darwish birthday?
Mahmoud Darwish was born at 1941-03-13
When was Mahmoud Darwish died?
Mahmoud Darwish was died at 2008-08-09
Where was Mahmoud Darwish died?
Mahmoud Darwish was died in Houston
Which age was Mahmoud Darwish died?
Mahmoud Darwish was died at age 67
Where is Mahmoud Darwish's birth place?
Mahmoud Darwish was born in Al-Birwa
What is Mahmoud Darwish nationalities?
Mahmoud Darwish's nationalities is Palestinian
What was Mahmoud Darwish universities?
Mahmoud Darwish studied at Moscow State University
What is Mahmoud Darwish's religion?
Mahmoud Darwish's religion is Islam
What is Mahmoud Darwish's sun sign?
Mahmoud Darwish is Pisces
How famous is Mahmoud Darwish?
Mahmoud Darwish is famouse as Poet