In The Presence Of Absence

Great

A deeply moving testament from the Pakestinian poet par excellence. Intensely personal while transcending the merely personal to touch upon themes of loss, longing and a refusal to be defeated which enables him to speak to everyone while speaking for the Palestinian people who are justly proud of his memory.

Mahmoud Darwish never fails to captivate. As with any translation, the beauty of his words wont come through as they do in Arabic, however, they by no means fall short of the brilliance expected of Darwish. I listen fondly to the music of Marcel Khalife, an artist who through music pays tribute to the poetry of Mahmoud Darwish. Any lover of Darwish's work would appreciate Khalife as well. If you don't already listen to Marcel, let me say that he is absolutely essential in understanding Mahmoud's relation to and influence on other artists.

Seine Worte sind erfüllt von Liebe und Schmerz. Ein großartiger Autor.

Darwish is one of the most transcendent poets of his generation. This is a remarkable elf-elegy with full knowledge that his death was imminent. In this, his last book, Darwish utilized all his poetic genius to create a luminous work with stunning language. I have loved every poem and verse that Darwish has written and I treasure this remarkable work.