an important aspect of Arab culture, the reliance on lyricism, poetry, and words to insist on the memory of that which has been taken: life, land and otherwise. It may very well be a sense of powerlessness that has frequently driven modern Arab writers to hone their relationship with words. "If he dies in exile," he writes, "let him lie there naked/to share his horror with you."
Samih Al Qasim is regarded as one of the forefathers of Palestinian political poetry. Under the restrictions on non-Jewish citizens during Israel's early years, the poet composed lyrics of resistance that provided Palestinians with one of the few outlets for political expression.
from
Palestine Chronicle: Samih Al Qasim and the Arab Men of Letters
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