Memory for Forgetfulness

August, Beirut, 1982

Fiction & Literature, Poetry
Cover of the book Memory for Forgetfulness by Mahmoud Darwish, University of California Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Mahmoud Darwish ISBN: 9780520954595
Publisher: University of California Press Publication: May 13, 2013
Imprint: University of California Press Language: English
Author: Mahmoud Darwish
ISBN: 9780520954595
Publisher: University of California Press
Publication: May 13, 2013
Imprint: University of California Press
Language: English

One of the Arab world's greatest poets uses the 1982 Israeli invasion of Lebanon and the shelling of Beirut as the setting for this sequence of prose poems. Mahmoud Darwish vividly recreates the sights and sounds of a city under terrible siege. As fighter jets scream overhead, he explores the war-ravaged streets of Beirut on August 6th (Hiroshima Day).

Memory for Forgetfulness is an extended reflection on the invasion and its political and historical dimensions. It is also a journey into personal and collective memory. What is the meaning of exile? What is the role of the writer in time of war? What is the relationship of writing (memory) to history (forgetfulness)? In raising these questions, Darwish implicitly connects writing, homeland, meaning, and resistance in an ironic, condensed work that combines wit with rage.

Ibrahim Muhawi's translation beautifully renders Darwish's testament to the heroism of a people under siege, and to Palestinian creativity and continuity. Sinan Antoon’s foreword, written expressly for this edition, sets Darwish’s work in the context of changes in the Middle East in the past thirty years.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

One of the Arab world's greatest poets uses the 1982 Israeli invasion of Lebanon and the shelling of Beirut as the setting for this sequence of prose poems. Mahmoud Darwish vividly recreates the sights and sounds of a city under terrible siege. As fighter jets scream overhead, he explores the war-ravaged streets of Beirut on August 6th (Hiroshima Day).

Memory for Forgetfulness is an extended reflection on the invasion and its political and historical dimensions. It is also a journey into personal and collective memory. What is the meaning of exile? What is the role of the writer in time of war? What is the relationship of writing (memory) to history (forgetfulness)? In raising these questions, Darwish implicitly connects writing, homeland, meaning, and resistance in an ironic, condensed work that combines wit with rage.

Ibrahim Muhawi's translation beautifully renders Darwish's testament to the heroism of a people under siege, and to Palestinian creativity and continuity. Sinan Antoon’s foreword, written expressly for this edition, sets Darwish’s work in the context of changes in the Middle East in the past thirty years.

More books from University of California Press

Cover of the book Transmedia Frictions by Mahmoud Darwish
Cover of the book The Environmental Legacy of the UC Natural Reserve System by Mahmoud Darwish
Cover of the book Lorine Niedecker by Mahmoud Darwish
Cover of the book Rough and Tumble by Mahmoud Darwish
Cover of the book Railtown by Mahmoud Darwish
Cover of the book Seeking Good Debate by Mahmoud Darwish
Cover of the book Raise by Mahmoud Darwish
Cover of the book Security and Terror by Mahmoud Darwish
Cover of the book The New Connoisseurs' Guidebook to California Wine and Wineries by Mahmoud Darwish
Cover of the book Ubiquitous Listening by Mahmoud Darwish
Cover of the book The Immigrant and the University by Mahmoud Darwish
Cover of the book Beyond Bioethics by Mahmoud Darwish
Cover of the book The Cylinder by Mahmoud Darwish
Cover of the book Technologies for Intuition by Mahmoud Darwish
Cover of the book Changing Planet, Changing Health by Mahmoud Darwish
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy