A River Dies of Thirst: Diaries by Mahmoud Darwish
Published by Saqi Books
Ebook
Published 1 May 2012 (first published 1 January 2009)
202 pages
Digital library book
Mahmoud Darwish was one of the most acclaimed contemporary poets in the Arab world, and is often cited as the poetic voice of the Palestinian people. During the tumultuous summer of 2006, as Israel attacked Gaza and Lebanon, Darwish was in Ramallah. He recorded his observations and feelings in writing, included in A River Dies of Thirst, some of his last work. In this collection, Darwish writes of love, loss, and the pain of exile in bittersweet poems and diary entries leavened with hope and joy.
From The Girl / The ScreamOn the seashore is a girl, and the girl has a family
And the family has a house. And the house has two windows and a
Door...
I enjoyed the poems in A River Dies of Thirst. The poem use rich language and powerful imagery which make them pleasant to read. A lot of the poems are structured more like little pieces of prose. As far as I'm concerned, a poem should contain stanzas. A block of continuous prose up to a page long is a short piece of fiction and not a poem even when they use the same language and imagery. Only a few poems in A River Dies of Thirst are actual poems. A River Dies of Thirst is really a collection of poems and short prose pieces. I found them all very enjoyable. I'd definitely recommend this collection.
