Fadwa Touqan
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Fadwa Touqan (Arabic: فدوي طوقان, also transliterated as Fadwa Tuqan, Spanish: Fadwa Tuqant, French: Fadwa Touquan and Fadwa Touqan; b. 1917 in Nablus, d. 2003), known as the Poet of Palestine, was well-known for her representations of resistance to Israeli occupation in contemporary Arab poetry.[1]
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[edit] Overview
Toukan's poetry is known for her distinctive chronicling of the suffering of her people, the Palestinian, particularly those living under Israeli occupation.[2]
Born in Nablus to a wealthy Palestinian family known for their accomplishments in many fields, she received schooling until age 13 when she was forced to quit school at a young age. One of her brothers, Ibrahim Touqan, also a well-known poet, took responsibility for her, gave her books to read and taught her basic knowledge.[2] Toukan eventually attended Oxford University, where she studied English and literature.[2]
Toukan eventually published eight poetry collections, which were translated into many languages and enjoy renown throughout the Arab World.[2] Her book, "Alone With the Days," focused on the hardships faced by women in the male-dominated Arab world.[2] After the Six-Day War, Toukan's poetry focused on the hardships of living under the Israeli occupation. One of her best known poems, "The Night and the Horsemen," described life under Israeli military rule.
Toukan died on December 12, 2003 during the height of the Al-Aqsa Intifada, while her hometown of Nablus was under siege.[1][3] The poem Wahsha: Moustalhama min Qanoon al Jathibiya (Longing: Inspired by the Law of Gravity) was one of the last poems she penned while largely bedridden.[1]
Toukan is widely considered a symbol of the Palestinian cause and "one of the most distinguished figures of modern Arabic literature."[1][2]
[edit] Bibliography
- My Brother Ibrahim (1946)
- Alone With The Days (1952)
- I Found It' (1957)
- Give Us Love (1960)
- In Front Of A Closed Door (1967).
- The Night And the Horsemen (1969)
- Alone On the Summit Of The World (1973)
- July And The Other Thing (1989)
- The Last Melody (2000)
- Longing Inspired by the Law of Gravity (2003)
- Tuqan, Fadwa: An autobiography: A Mountainous Journey, Graywolf Press, Saint Paul, Minnesota, U.S.A (1990), ISBN 1-55597-138-5, with part two published in 1993
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d Fadwa Touqan. Words Without Border. Retrieved on 04.15.2007.
- ^ a b c d e f Lawrence Joffe (15 December 2003). Obituary. The Guardian. Retrieved on 07.15.2007.
- ^ http://www.pchrgaza.ps/files/W_report/English/2003/18-12-2003.htm
[edit] External links
- Samar Attar: A discovery voyage of self and other: Fadwa Tuqan's sojourn in England in the early sixties, Arab Studies Quarterly (ASQ), Summer, 2003.
- Lawrence Joffe Obituary in The Guardian, 15 December 2003
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