In the Presence of Absence
Product ID: 11042053
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Winner of the 2012 National Translation Award “What Sinan [Antoon] has done with In the Presence of Absence is a kind of miraculous work of dedication and love. Reading this volume is sheer enjoyment and sublimity.” — Saadi Yousef “There are two maps of Palestine that politicians will never manage to forfeit: the one kept in the memories of Palestinian refugees, and that which is drawn by Darwish’s poetry.” — Anton Shammas One of the most transcendent poets of his generation, Darwish composed this remarkable elegy at the apex of his creativity, but with the full knowledge that his death was imminent. Thinking it might be his final work, he summoned all his poetic genius to create a luminous work that defies categorization. In stunning language, Darwish’s self-elegy inhabits a rare space where opposites bleed and blend into each other. Prose and poetry, life and death, home and exile are all sung by the poet and his other. On the threshold of im/mortality, the poet looks back at his own existence, intertwined with that of his people. Through these lyrical meditations on love, longing, Palestine, history, friendship, family, and the ongoing conversation between life and death, the poet bids himself and his readers a poignant farewell. Review: Amazing book - This book is very difficult to describe because it is truly a masterpiece. Mahmoud Darwish has outdone himself in this beautiful book, it is even hard to believe that he wrote it before he died because it discussed such sensitive and critical and complex feelings and theories. I also assure you that this is the best translation you will find of the book, the translation is simply magnificent and it's obvious how much hard work has been put into it, bringing out all the features Darwish was aiming to bring out precisely and with great detail. Review: Marvelous, must read - 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.
| Best Sellers Rank | #170,408 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #8 in African Literary History & Criticism #27 in Middle Eastern Literature (Books) #38 in Middle Eastern Poetry (Books) |
| Customer Reviews | 4.8 out of 5 stars 228 Reviews |
S**A
Amazing book
This book is very difficult to describe because it is truly a masterpiece. Mahmoud Darwish has outdone himself in this beautiful book, it is even hard to believe that he wrote it before he died because it discussed such sensitive and critical and complex feelings and theories. I also assure you that this is the best translation you will find of the book, the translation is simply magnificent and it's obvious how much hard work has been put into it, bringing out all the features Darwish was aiming to bring out precisely and with great detail.
A**R
Marvelous, must read
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.
H**R
Came fast and exactly as described.
Have not read the book yet, have a few ahead of it:)
F**A
Great book, slight damage
Good book but came slightly damaged
M**A
Great Book
It was as described. Great Condition.
L**N
Five Stars
Deep. Tugs at the heart.
D**P
A Master Work
A work of brilliance, with a translator and translation to match.
S**E
Beautiful and heartbreaking
Beautiful and heartbreaking, it’s a study of love and loss, of aging, isolation and injustice; a love song to Palestine. Magnificent writing.
P**H
Great
Great
F**R
Read this and weep
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.
J**E
Darwish
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.
S**I
Lektüre für zwischendurch
Seine Worte sind erfüllt von Liebe und Schmerz. Ein großartiger Autor.
B**A
Einige Seiten waren fehlerhaft, Druckfehler waren vorhanden usw.
Ich wollte das Buch zurücksenden, aber habe es nicht mehr rechtzeitig geschafft. Bin sehr enttäuscht von dem Produkt...
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