Memory for Forgetfulness by Mahmoud Darwish

This work, Memory for Forgetfulness (Dha:kira li-l nisya:n), which grew out of the Israeli invasion of Lebanon that began on 6 June 1982, originally appeared in 1986, under the title The Time: Beirut / The Place: August, in Al Karmel, the prestigious literary quarterly Darwish has edited since 1981. Selections from his poetry have appeared in translation in at least twenty languages, but, considering his stature, he is not as well known in the English-speaking world as he should be. Many poems and articles published in various magazines, as well as a number of television and newspaper interviews, have not yet been collected. He also has seven prose works to his name, including this one. His Diwan, or collected poems, comprising the first nine volumes, has been reprinted numerous times. He has so far published fourteen volumes of poetry, the first of which, Olive Leaves, appeared in 1964, and the latest, Eleven Planets, in 1993. When he gives a reading in any Arab country today, his audience runs into the thousands, with many people turned away for lack of space.

He has been awarded a number of international literary prizes, and has read his poetry to audiences in many countries around the world. In the Arab world Mahmoud Darwish is acknowledged as one of the greatest living poets.

And without her mastery of English, her native tongue, and her priceless literacy, the translation would not sound as it does. Without her unfailing encouragement and her commitment, this work might never have been finished. To Jane Muhawi, my wife and native ear, I owe more than I know how to put into words. To my good friend, Nasreddine Hajjaj, a Palestinian writer and son of Ain Hilwe refugee camp in South Lebanon, for helping to see this work through and for providing invaluable assistance. To Ahmad Dahbour, a Palestinian poet and friend of Darwish, for being there when needed. To Lynne Withey and Stephanie Fay, my present editors at UC Press, for dedicated enthusiasm, follow-up, and care with the manuscript and to the editorial staff at UC Press, who continue to uphold the standard of excellence in book production. To Sheila Levine, of UC Press, for initial encouragement to proceed. Her mastery of both Arabic and English is such as to inspire confidence and, with a work like this one, this mastery was needed.

To Emna Moalla, my colleague at the Faculté des Lettres de la Manouba (Université de Tunis-I), for giving unstintingly of her time in checking various drafts of the translation against the original. I would like to express my gratitude to the following people, without whose contribution this work would not be what it is. Ĭ’est précisément parce que j’oublie que je lis. Memory for Forgetfulness: August, Beirut, 1982. Berkeley, Calif: University of California Press, 1995. C’est précisément parce que j’oublie que je lis.

Memory for Forgetfulness by Mahmoud Darwish