Skip to Main Content (Press Enter) Toggle side nav

Journal of an Ordinary Grief

By Mahmoud Darwish
Translated by Ibrahim Muhawi

By Mahmoud Darwish
Translated by Ibrahim Muhawi

By Mahmoud Darwish
Translated by Ibrahim Muhawi

By Mahmoud Darwish
Translated by Ibrahim Muhawi

Best Seller
Paperback $16.00

Nov 05, 2010 | ISBN 9780982624647

Ebook $12.99

Feb 29, 2012 | ISBN 9781935744696

All Formats
+
    Journal of an Ordinary Grief by Mahmoud Darwish
    Paperback $16.00
    Nov 05, 2010 | ISBN 9780982624647

    Also available from:

    See All Formats (1) +

    Paperback
    –

    • Paperback $16.00

      Nov 05, 2010 | ISBN 9780982624647

      Also available from:

    Ebook
    +

    • Ebook

      Feb 29, 2012 | ISBN 9781935744696

      Available from:

    *This title is not eligible for purchase to earn points nor for redemption with your code in the Reader Rewards program

    Buy the Ebook:

    About Journal of an Ordinary Grief

    A collection of autobiographical essays by one of the greatest poets to come from Palestine.

    “Every beautiful poem is an act of resistance,” asserts Darwish. Both voice of the Palestinian people and one of the most transcendent poets of his generation, Mahmoud Darwish also wrote several remarkable volumes of autobiographical essays over the course of his life. First published in Beirut in 1973, these probing essays ask vital questions about the existentially complex realities the Palestinians in Israel face and the ambiguity of Darwish’s own identity as an Israeli Palestinian. They call upon myth, memory, and language to delve into the poet’s experience of house arrest, his encounters with Israeli interrogators, and the periods he spent in prison. Meditative, lyrical, rhythmic, Darwish gives absence a vital presence in these linked essays. Journal is a moving and intimate account of the loss of homeland and, for many, of life inside the porous walls of occupation—no ordinary grief.

    About Journal of an Ordinary Grief

    A collection of autobiographical essays by one of the greatest poets to come from Palestine.

    “Every beautiful poem is an act of resistance,” asserts Darwish. Both voice of the Palestinian people and one of the most transcendent poets of his generation, Mahmoud Darwish also wrote several remarkable volumes of autobiographical essays over the course of his life. First published in Beirut in 1973, these probing essays ask vital questions about the existentially complex realities the Palestinians in Israel face and the ambiguity of Darwish’s own identity as an Israeli Palestinian. They call upon myth, memory, and language to delve into the poet’s experience of house arrest, his encounters with Israeli interrogators, and the periods he spent in prison. Meditative, lyrical, rhythmic, Darwish gives absence a vital presence in these linked essays. Journal is a moving and intimate account of the loss of homeland and, for many, of life inside the porous walls of occupation—no ordinary grief.

    Read An Excerpt

    Read An Excerpt

    Also by Mahmoud Darwish

    In the Presence of Absence
    A River Dies of Thirst
    Why Did You Leave the Horse Alone?
    See all books by Mahmoud Darwish

    Also by Mahmoud Darwish

    In the Presence of Absence
    A River Dies of Thirst
    Why Did You Leave the Horse Alone?
    See all books by Mahmoud Darwish

    Product Details

    Category: Biography & Memoir | Literary Collections

    Paperback | $16.00
    Published by Archipelago
    Nov 05, 2010 | 175 Pages | 5-1/2 x 6 | ISBN 9780982624647

    Category: Biography & Memoir | Literary Collections

    Ebook | $12.99
    Published by Archipelago
    Feb 29, 2012 | 175 Pages | ISBN 9781935744696

    Inspired by Your Browsing History

    Buy other books like Journal of an Ordinary Grief

    ‹ ›
    Walter Benjamin
    Walter Benjamin
    Gershom Scholem
    Israeli Stories
    Israeli Stories
    Joel Blocker
    The Protocols of the Elders of Sodom
    The Protocols of the Elders of Sodom
    Tariq Ali
    All Lara's Wars
    All Lara’s Wars
    Wojciech Jagielski
    When I Walk Through That Door, I Am
    When I Walk Through That Door, I Am
    Jimmy Santiago Baca
    The Dog of Tithwal
    The Dog of Tithwal
    Saadat Hasan Manto
    Stranger in a Strange Land
    Stranger in a Strange Land
    George Prochnik
    Love's Work
    Love’s Work
    Gillian Rose
    Burnt Books
    Burnt Books
    Rodger Kamenetz
    Hate Speech
    Hate Speech
    Caitlin Ring Carlson
    Haifa Republic: A Democratic Future for Israel
    Haifa Republic: A Democratic Future for Israel
    Omri Boehm
    The Vulnerable Observer
    The Vulnerable Observer
    Ruth Behar
    The Confessions
    The Confessions
    Jean-Jacques Rousseau
    Sex and the Citadel
    Sex and the Citadel
    Shereen El Feki
    Somewhere a Master
    Somewhere a Master
    Elie Wiesel
    Tales of the Hasidim
    Tales of the Hasidim
    Martin Buber
    The Education of a British-Protected Child
    The Education of a British-Protected Child
    Chinua Achebe
    Every Day, Holy Day
    Every Day, Holy Day
    Alan Morinis
    My Sister, Guard Your Veil; My Brother, Guard Your Eyes
    My Sister, Guard Your Veil; My Brother, Guard Your Eyes
    After Lives
    After Lives
    Barbara Harlow
    Frontier Justice
    Frontier Justice
    Andy Lamey
    Kaddish
    Kaddish
    Leon Wieseltier
    Brown Album
    Brown Album
    Porochista Khakpour
    Yudl
    Yudl
    Layle Silbert
    The Child Is the Teacher
    The Child Is the Teacher
    Cristina De Stefano
    Written on Water
    Written on Water
    Eileen Chang
    Nine Essential Things I've Learned About Life
    Nine Essential Things I’ve Learned About Life
    Harold S. Kushner
    Hector and the Search for Happiness (Movie Tie-In)
    Hector and the Search for Happiness (Movie Tie-In)
    Francois Lelord
    Demystifying Shariah
    Demystifying Shariah
    Sumbul Ali-Karamali
    La Petite
    La Petite
    Michele Halberstadt
    Rashi
    Rashi
    Elie Wiesel
    Whites, Jews, and Us
    Whites, Jews, and Us
    Houria Bouteldja

    Praise

    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

    Looking for More Great Reads?
    21 Books You’ve Been Meaning to Read
    Get the latest updates from Mahmoud Darwish
    And go from well-read to best read with book recs, deals and more in your inbox every week.
    And go from well-read to best read with book recs, deals and more in your inbox every week.
    By clicking SIGN UP, I acknowledge that I have read and agree to Penguin Random House’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
    Dismiss
    Thanks!
    Something awesome is on its way.
    Back to Top

    Visit other sites in the Penguin Random House Network

    Raise kids who love to read

    Brightly

    Raise kids who love to read
    Today's Top Books

    Today's Top Books

    Want to know what people are actually reading right now?
    An online magazine for today’s home cook

    TASTE

    An online magazine for today’s home cook