Journal of an Ordinary Grief

Winner of PEN Translation Prize 2011

There is no finer Arab poet for English readers to start with. —Times Literary Supplement

Very impressive. —Juan Goytisolo

This collection of essays is one of the most effective, useful, and deeply moving witnessings of a historical tragedy I have read. The writing has an unsurpassed freshness, power, and awe exactly because it is poetry that happens to have justified margins. Darwish hungers to understand why such calamities have befallen his people and has a profound need for sharing—and succeeds brilliantly at both of these. This book should beon the reading list of every school in this country. —Pierre Joris

An important anchor in the work of a poet celebrated for providing a national identity to displaced Palestinians. Darwish gives displacement a personal and deeply anguished voice. His artistry provides greater context for a conflict that to this day floods citizens of the world with grief. —The New York Times Book Review

Rewardingly contemplative. Capably translated and helpfully annotated by Ibrahim Muhawi. A passionate ode to his homeland. —The Christian Science Monitor

Mahmoud Darwish is the Palestinain poet laureate. His verses chronicle the Palestinians’ anguish at the loss of their land. Ibrahim Muhawi’s limpid translation captures the longing, the ache of exile. —The Economist

Such an achievement. Indispensable reading for anyone interested in the roots and ramifications of the Israeli and Palestinian conflict. Muhawi’s own prose and meticulous footnotes are impeccable. An inspired and scholarly piece of research. —Words Without Borders