March 13 marks the 84th birth anniversary of one of the Arab world’s most influential literary voices: Mahmoud Darwish. Born in 1941 and raised in a village home void of books, the Palestinian wordsmith rose to become his homeland’s national poet.
His passionate prose discussed the themes of loss, exile, dispossession, and resistance — loaded topics that captured the hearts of Arab populations but also led to imprisonment, where he continued to write.
Throughout his eventful career, Darwish authored over 30 books of poetry, which have been translated into various international languages.
Describing himself once as a “carpenter of words,” Darwish’s classical Arabic poetry still hits a nerve with people today, amidst ongoing injustices endured by Palestinians and Arabs, and that is precisely what makes his writing relevant.
In 1964, as a young man in his early twenties, he famously wrote in his poem Identity Card:
“Write it down!
I am an Arab.
You have stolen my ancestors’ groves
And the land we cultivated
I and all my children
Leaving nothing for us and all my grandchildren
Except these rocks
Will your government take them
Like people say?Therefore,
Write down on the top of the first page:
I do not hate people
And I do not steal from anyone
But if I starve
I will eat my oppressor’s flesh
Beware, beware of my starving
And my rage.”
Through his poignant prose, Darwish, who spent most of his adult life in exile, has also inspired multi-generational Arab artists in both music and visual art for decades.
In honour of his 84th birthday, we examine how five visual artists from the region have based their works on the poet, who died in 2008 but whose timeless writing continues to move readers today.
Portrait of Mahmoud Darwish by Abed Abdi, 1962
Executed on paper with charcoal pens, here is a rare portrait of Darwish gazing away from the viewer in a pensive mode. This image was created in a sensitive manner by the Palestinian artist Abed Abdi, who was friends with the poet.
At the time during the early 1960s, Abdi was at the beginning of his artistic career. Darwish was also a young man, working for Al-Ittihad Newspaper and Al-Jadeed Magazine in the Palestinian coastal city of Haifa, a place of significance for Darwish, since he spent part of his youth there.
“Cities are smells… Haifa is the smell of pine and wrinkled sheets,” he once wrote.
According to Abdi, he asked Darwish if he could produce his portrait as a sign of their friendship. After all these years, the artist owns the artwork until this day.
Poem of the Land by Mona Saudi, 1979
Another one of Darwish’s close friends was the late Jordanian artist Mona Saudi, who first met him in Beirut in the 1970s, where they both worked in journalism.
Her home in the Lebanese capital saw lively gatherings, attended by Darwish and other intellectuals (including the famous Syrian poet Adonis), where they listened to Umm Kulthum’s music and discussed a variety of topics.
While she may be remembered for her organic stone sculptures, Saudi also produced a series of drawings, executed between 1975 and 1980, inspired by Darwish’s poems.
Her lightly-coloured drawings combined his words and organically-shaped figurative elements, giving the overall composition an intimate and human touch.
The Pigeons Fly: Mahmoud Darwish by Dia Al-Azzawi, 1990
Aside from diving into political issues, Darwish also mused about romantic love.
“The pigeons fly, the pigeons come down. Prepare a place for me to rest. I love you unto weariness. Your morning is fruit for songs and this evening is precious gold,” he referenced the bird, symbolising peace and love.
The particular prose is highlighted in this unique accordion-like, 30-plus-page notebook, dotted with lyrical Arabic verses and vibrant drawings, by the renowned veteran Iraqi artist Dia Al-Azzawi.
The artist personally knew the poet, first meeting each other in Baghdad and spending time together in the UK, where Al-Azzawi has lived since in the mid-1970s.
According to Louisa Macmillan, head of research and archives at Al-Azzawi’s studio, the duo didn’t artistically collaborate. In fact, Darwish was against the idea “out of fear that the artworks would distract from his words,” she told The New Arab.
Gouache on paper; acrylic on paperboard, 39.5 x 29.5 x 2 cm
[Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art, Doha]
Exil II by Nidhal Chamekh, 2019
Devoting a lot of his practice to drawing, the contemporary Tunisian artist Nidhal Chamekh was inspired by a poem by Darwish, looking into exile and the physical sense of loss and confusion it brings about.
It’s an issue that hits close to home for the artist, who is partially based in Paris. In Exil II, Chamekh conjured up this black-and-white drawing filled with different elements of his own life.
“It presents several mental images that have remained in my memory and evoke exile for me,” he told The New Arab.
In one corner of the composition, one can see an incomplete portrait of spectacled Darwish. Surrounding him are elements of feet and shoes, representing migration and displacement.
In the centre of the artwork, there is a bold sequence of numbers, which reference Chamekh’s foreign resident card number in France. Elsewhere, the presence of a dragonfly represents change, adaptability, and growth.
Dystopia is not a Noun by Hazem Harb, 2023
A notable artist of the Palestinian diaspora, Hazem Harb has tried his hand in painting, sculpting, drawing, collage, installation and neon art, delving into personal narratives and the collective memory of Palestine.
With the unfolding of the genocide in his birthplace of Gaza, starting in October 2023, the artist found himself returning to an earlier and highly expressive medium he experimented with in his career: charcoal drawing.
Fuelled by the horrific images of loss, suffering, and destruction coming out of Gaza, Harb started a series of large, black-and-white charcoal drawings, passionately depicting the chaos of the tragedy with a smokey, scribbly effect.
Among them is this powerful image of a mysterious figure torturously emerging from the rubble. At the bottom of the piece, Harb writes a sentence belonging to Darwish, fighting for his homeland: “And to give your skin in exchange for an olive.”
Rawaa Talass is a freelance journalist focusing on art and culture emerging from the Middle East. Her work has been published in Art Dubai, Arab News, Al Arabiya English, Artsy, The Art Newspaper, Kayhan Life, Dubai Collection, and The National
Follow her on Instagram: @byrawaatalass
