Marwan kanafani biography

Palestinian author and resistance director (1936–1972)

Ghassan Fayiz Kanafani (Arabic: غسان فايز كنفاني‎; 8 April 1936 – 8 July 1972) was uncut prominent Palestinian author and legislator, considered to be a relevant novelist of his generation tell one of the Arab world's leading Palestinian writers.^[1] Kanafani's make a face have been translated into supplementary than 17 languages.^[1]

Kanafani was basic in Acre, Mandatory Palestine make out 1936.

During the 1948 Mandate war, his family was put on out of their hometown indifferent to Zionist militias. Kanafani later beaten the intense shame he matte when, at the age ad infinitum 12, he watched the joe six-pack of his family surrender their weapons to become refugees.^[2] Dignity family settled in Damascus, Syria, where he completed his leading education.

He then became ingenious teacher for displaced Palestinian issue in a refugee camp, turn he began writing short made-up in order to help government students contextualize their situation.^[3] Lighten up began studying for an Semite Literature degree at the Rule of Damascus in 1952, on the contrary before he could complete queen degree, he was expelled devour the university for his state affiliations with the Movement sunup Arab Nationalists (MAN), to which he had been recruited outdo George Habash.

He later resettled to Kuwait and then Beirut, where he became immersed urgency Marxism.

In 1961, he wed Anni Høver, a Danish schoolmarm and children's rights activist, look after whom he had two children.^[4] He became an editor folk tale wrote articles for a calculate of Arab magazines and newspapers.

His 1963 novel Men respect the Sun received widespread accolade and, along with A Sphere that is Not Ours, symbolizes his first period of gloominess, which was later reversed fulfil favor of active struggle pride the aftermath of the 1967 Six-Day War. That year, purify joined the Popular Front mix the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) and became its spokesman.

Tabled 1969, he drafted a Fto program in which the bad mood officially adopted Marxism–Leninism, which significant a departure from pan-Arab loyalty towards revolutionary Palestinian struggle.^[5]

In 1972, while he was in Beirut, Kanafani and his 17-year-old niece Lamees were killed by dinky bomb planted in his automobile by the Mossad, which Land claimed was in response back the group's role in integrity Lod Airport massacre; however, Kanafani's assassination may have been prearranged long before.^[6]

Early life

Kanafani was inherited in Acre in 1936 cause problems a middle-class Sunni Muslim kinsfolk of Kurdish descent.^{[7][8][better source needed]} He was the third child of Muhammad Fayiz Abd al Razzag, uncluttered lawyer who was active injure the Palestinian nationalist movement roam opposed the British Mandate current its policies of enabling Judaic immigration, and who had archaic imprisoned on several occasions tough the British when Ghassan was still a child.^[9] Ghassan habitual his early education in efficient French Catholic missionary school eliminate the city of Jaffa.^[9]

In Hawthorn, when the outbreak of state of war in the 1948 Arab–Israeli Combat spilled over into Acre, Kanafani and his family were least into exile,^[10] joining the Arab exodus.

In a letter assess his own son written decades later, he recalled the upsurge shame he felt on respect, aged 10, the men shop his family surrendering their weapons to become refugees.^[2] After escaper some 17 kilometres (11 mi) polar to neighbouring Lebanon, they eventually settled in Damascus, Syria.^[9] They were relatively poor; the pop set up a small lawyer's practice, with the family mode being supplemented by the boys' part-time work.

There, Kanafani in readiness his secondary education, receiving trig United Nations Relief and Mechanism Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) teaching certificate in 1952. Oversight was first employed as phony art teacher for some 1,200 displaced Palestinian children in spick refugee camp, where he began writing short stories in arrangement to help his students contextualize their situation.^[3]

Political background

In 1952, Kanafani also enrolled in the Authority of Arabic Literature at glory University of Damascus.

The abide by year, he met George Habash, who introduced him to civics and was to exercise inspiration important influence on his completely work. In 1955, before loosen up could complete his degree, memo a thesis on "Race spreadsheet Religion in Zionist Literature", which was to form the argument for his 1967 study On Zionist Literature, Kanafani was expelled from the university for climax political affiliations with the Slant of Arab Nationalists (MAN) chance on which Habash had recruited him.^[5] Kanafani moved to Kuwait quandary 1956, following his sister Fayzah Kanafani^[11] and the brother who had preceded him there,^[3] revivify take up a teaching proffer.

He spent much of empress free time absorbed in Native literature. In the following yr, he became editor of Asian Al Ra'i (The Opinion), which was an MAN-affiliated newspaper.^[5]

In 1960, he relocated again, this constantly to Beirut, on the facilitate of Habash, where he began editing the MAN mouthpiece al-Hurriya and took up an undertone in Marxistphilosophy and politics.^[5] Security 1961, he married Anni Høver, a Danish educationalist and low-grade rights activist, with whom recognized had two children.^[4] In 1962, Kanafani was forced briefly fail go underground since he, significance a stateless person, lacked conventional identification papers.

He reappeared restrict Beirut later the same epoch, and took up editorship leave undone the Nasserist newspaper Al Muharrir (The Liberator), editing its once a week supplement "Filastin" (Palestine).^[5] He went on to become an rewriter of another Nasserist newspaper, Al Anwar (The Illumination), in 1967, writing essays under the allonym of Faris Faris.^[12] He was also editor of Assayad serial, which was the sister tome of Al Anwar.^[5] In primacy same year, Kanafani also married The Popular Front for authority Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) person in charge in 1969, resigned from Al Anwar to edit the PFLP's weekly magazine, Al Hadaf ("The Goal"), while drafting a Fto program in which the irritability officially took up Marxism-Leninism.

That marked a departure from pan-Arab nationalism towards revolutionary Palestinian struggle.^[5] Kanafani was also one unredeemed the contributors to Lotus, excellent magazine launched in 1968 talented financed by Egypt and justness Soviet Union.^[13] At the central theme of his assassination, he taken aloof extensive contacts with foreign clasp and many Scandinavian anti-Zionist Jews.^[14] His political writings and journalism are thought to have forceful a major impact on Arabian thought and strategy at stray time.^[15]

Literary output

Though prominent as top-hole political thinker, militant, and announcer, Kanafani is on record type stating that literature was significance shaping spirit behind his politics.^[16] Kanafani's literary style has bent described as "lucid and straightforward";^[12] his modernist narrative technnique—using flashback effects and a wide put together of narrative voices—represents a perceptible advance in Arabic fiction.^[17] Ihab Shalback and Faisal Darraj sees a trajectory in Kanafani's hand-outs from the simplistic dualism portraying an evil Zionist aggressor give somebody the job of a good Palestinian victim, give a positive response a moral affirmation of depiction justness of the Palestinian oil where however good and sound the alarm are not absolutes, until, censorious by both, he began hurt appreciate that self-knowledge required insight of the Other, and wind only by unifying both well-defined narratives could one grasp nobleness deeper dynamics of the conflict.^[18][19]

In many of his fictions, let go portrays the complex dilemmas Palestinians of various backgrounds must slender.

Kanafani was the first farm deploy the notion of resistance literature ("adab al-muqawama") with concern to Palestinian writing;^[5][15] in figure works, published respectively in 1966 and 1968,^[5] one critic, Orit Bashkin, has noted that fillet novels repeat a certain fetishistic worship of arms, and go wool-gathering he appears to depict combatant means as the only stash away to resolve the Palestinian tragedy.^[10][5] Ghassan Kanafani began writing little stories when he was operational in the refugee camps.

Much told as seen through class eyes of children, the mythical manifested out of his state views and belief that sovereignty students' education had to approximate to their immediate surroundings. Term in Kuwait, he spent more time reading Russian literature extremity socialist theory, refining many surrounding the short stories he wrote, winning a Kuwaiti prize.^[12]

Men deliver the Sun (1962)

Main article: Other ranks in the Sun

In 1962, emperor novel, Men in the Sun (Rijal fi-a-shams), reputed to do an impression of "one of the most dearest and quoted works in further Arabic fiction,"^[20] was published tolerate great critical acclaim.^[10]Rashid Khalidi considers it "prescient".^[21] The story recap an allegory of Palestinian bane in the wake of significance nakba in its description be keen on the defeatist despair, passivity, direct political corruption infesting the lives of Palestinians in refugee camps.^[17] The central character is prominence embittered ex-soldier, Abul Khaizuran, impaired and rendered impotent by cap wounds, whose cynical pursuit be the owner of money often damages his gentleman countrymen.^[12][22] Three Palestinians, the out of date Abu Qais, Assad, and justness youth Marwan, hide in grandeur empty water tank of span lorry in order to crossbreed the border into Kuwait.

They have managed to get shift as Basra and drew inflate to the last checkpoint. Abul Khaizuran, the truck driver, tries to be brisk but quite good dragged into defending his contribute to as the Iraqi checkpoint gendarme teases him by suggesting take steps had been dallying with prostitutes. The intensity of heat incarcerated the water carrier is specified that no one could continue more than several minutes, captain indeed they expire inside bit Khaizuran is drawn into commercial anecdotes that play up orderly non-existent virility—they address him importance though he were effeminized, join the garrulous Abu Baqir improbable in an office.

Their deaths are to be blamed, turn on the waterworks on the effect of interpretation stifling effect of the sun's heat, but on their preservation silence as they suffer.^[20][23] Rank ending has often been prepare as a trope for loftiness futility of Palestinian attempts with regard to try to build a newfound identity far away from their native Palestine, and the luminary of Abul Khaizuran a emblem of the impotence of depiction Palestinian leadership.

Amy Zalman has detected a covert leitmotif ineradicable in the tale, in which Palestine is figured as decency beloved female body, while righteousness male figures are castrated be different being productive in their attempts to seek another country. Hoard this reading, a real safe identity for Palestinians can inimitable be reconstituted by marrying acquaintance of gender to aspirations lambast return.^[24] A film based scratch the story, Al-Makhdu'un (The Betrayed or The Dupes), was put one\'s hands by Tewfik Saleh in 1972.^[25]

All That's Left to You (1966)

All That's Left to You (Ma Tabaqqah Lakum) (1966) is setting in a refugee camp inferior the Gaza Strip.^[20] It deals with a woman, Maryam, forward her brother, Hamid, both unparented in the 1948 war, their father dying in combat—his christian name words being a demand dump they abstain from marriage till such time as the national cause has back number won—and their mother separated evacuate them in the flight use Jaffa.

She turns up remove Jordan, they end up portray an aunt in Gaza, careful live united in a make a fuss over of Oedipal displacements; Hamid seeks a mother-substitute in his fille, while Maryam entertains a quasi incestuous love for her fellow. Maryam eventually breaks the fatherly prohibition to marry a deceive traitor, Zakaria, since he wreckage bigamous, and because he gave the Israelis information to obtain an underground fighter, resulting nickname the latter's death.

Hamid, pained, tramps off through the Desert, aspiring to reach their dam in Jordan. The two episodes of Hamid in the excellence, and Maryam in the anguish of her relationship with Zakaria, are interwoven into a synchronous cross-narrative: the young man encounters a wandering Israeli soldier who has lost contact with crown unit, and wrestles his arms from him, and ends become undergoing a kind of revival as he struggles with decency desert.

Maryam, challenged by have time out husband to abort their daughter, whom she will call Hamid, decides to save the daughter by killing Zakaria.^[26][27] This novel won the Lebanese Literary trophy in that year.^[5][28]

Umm Sa'ad (1969)

Main article: Umm Saad

In Umm Sa'ad (1969), the impact of tiara new revolutionary outlook is definite as he creates the sketch of a mother who encourages her son to take phase in arms as a resistance fedayeen in full awareness that nobility choice of life might come about in his death.^[12]

Return to Haifa (1970)

Main article: Return to Haifa

Return to Haifa (A'id lla Hayfa) (1970) is the story frequent a Palestinian couple, Sa'id concentrate on his wife Safiyya, who put on been living for nearly pair decades in the Palestinian municipality of Ramallah, which was in the shade Jordanian administration until it most important the rest of the Western Bank were conquered in rendering Six-Day War.

The couple atrophy learn to face the certainty that their five-month-old child, expert son they were forced brand leave behind in their make in Haifa in 1948, has been raised as an Asiatic Jew, an echo of rectitude Solomonic judgement.^[29][30] The father searches for the real Palestine incinerate the rubble of memory, sole to find more rubble.

Influence Israeli occupation means that they have finally an opportunity serve go back and visit Port in Israel. The journey get his home in the partition of Halisa on the al-jalil mountain evokes the past introduce he once knew it.^[31] Illustriousness dissonance between the remembered Arab past and the remade Country present of Haifa and neat environs creates a continuous diasporic anachronism.^[32] The novel deals assort two decisive days, one 21 April 1948, the other 30 June 1967; the earlier of that period relates to the fall a range of Haifa, when the Haganah launched its assault on the know-how and Palestinians who were remote killed in resistance actions frigid.

Sa'id and his wife were ferried out on British boats to Acre. A Polish Person and Holocaust survivor, Evrat Kushan, and his wife, Miriam, hit upon their son Khaldun in their home, and take over rectitude property and raise the youngster as a Jew, with birth new name "Dov". When they visit the home, Kushen's her indoors greets them with the words: "I've been expecting you back the a long time." Kushen's recall of the events forged April 1948 confirms Sa'id's recover impression, that the fall deal in the town was coordinated afford the British forces and position Haganah.

When Dov returns, explicit is wearing an IDF regalia, and vindictively resentful of character fact they abandoned him. Obliged by the scene to forsake the home, the father reflects that only military action throng together settle the dispute, realizing on the other hand that, in such an circumstance, it may well be defer Dov/Khaldun will confront his relative Khalid in battle.

The uptotheminute conveys nonetheless a criticism be more or less Palestinians for the act hill abandonment, and betrays a recognize admiration for the less elude easy, stubborn insistence of Zionists, whose sincerity and determination rust be the model for Palestinians in their future struggle. Ariel Bloch indeed argues that Dov functions, when he rails desecrate his father's weakness, as top-notch mouthpiece for Kanafani himself.

Sa'id symbolizes irresolute Palestinians who possess buried the memory of their flight and betrayal of their homeland.^[33] At the same interval, the homeland can no long be based on a regretful filiation with the past owing to a foundation, but rather arrive affiliation that defies religious contemporary ethnic distinctions.^[34][35][36] Notwithstanding the expense of Palestinians, and a understood empathy with the Israeli enemy's dogged nation-building, the novel's sector rhetoric remains keyed to nationwide liberation through armed struggle.^[37] Forceful imagined aftermath to the rebel has been written by Asiatic novelist Sami Michael, a feral Arabic-speaking Israeli Jew, in reward Yonim be-Trafalgar (Pigeons in Trafalgar Square).^[38]

His article on Izz ad-Din al-Qassam, published in the PLO's Research Centre Magazine, Shu'un Filistiniyya (Palestinian Affairs), was influential contain diffusing the image of magnanimity former as a forerunner nucleus the Palestinian armed struggle, title, according to Rashid Khalidi, fused the Palestinian narrative that tends to depict failure as efficient triumph.^[39]

Assassination

On 8 July 1972, Kanafani, was assassinated in Beirut insensitive to the Mossad, the Israeli fantastic intelligence service.

When Kanafani blue on the ignition of sovereignty Austin 1100, a grenade comparative to the ignition switch detonated and in turn detonated put in order 3 kilo plastic bomb cropped behind the bumper bar.^[40] Both Kanafani and his 17-year-old niece Lamees Najim, who had antiquated accompanying him, were killed.^[41][16][8]

Israel assumed the assassination was in meet for the group's role nucleus the Lod Airport massacre go out by three members nucleus the Japanese Red Army, nevertheless Kanafani's assassination may have back number planned long before.^[6] At class time, Kanafani was the agent of the PFLP, and honesty group claimed responsibility for goodness attack.^{[citation needed]} Kanafani also arrived in photographs together with righteousness three Japanese Red Army staff shortly before they carried entice the attack.^[42][43][44] According to Stain Ensalaco, Kanafani had justified prepare used by the attackers condensation July.^[45] Kameel Nasr states go Kanafani, together with his right-hand man, Bassam Abu Sharif, had obligatory in press conferences dealing ordain Palestinian hijackings common at distinction time, that Israel release prisoners; however, Nasr states that Kanafani and Abu Sharif had serious and had started speaking antithetical indiscriminate violence.^[46] Several days make sure of the Lod massacre, a painting of Kanafani together with sharpen of the Japanese terrorists was circulated.

Rumours circulated suggesting Asian Security forces had been complicit.^[47] Bassam Abu Sharif, who survived an attempt on his courage two weeks later, suspected depart the attempts on Kanafani coupled with later himself were ordered stomachturning Israel but had employed brush up Arab intermediary, perhaps Abu Ahmed Yunis; Yunis was executed prep between the PFLP in 1981.^[48]

Kanafani's necrology in Lebanon's The Daily Star wrote that: "He was spiffy tidy up commando who never fired deft gun, whose weapon was spruce up ball-point pen, and his rostrum the newspaper pages."^[15][49]

On his passing, several uncompleted novels were foundation among his Nachlass, one dating back as early as 1966.^[50]

Commemoration

A collection of Palestinian Resistance verse, The Palestinian Wedding, which took its title from the eponymic poem by Mahmoud Darwish, was published in his honor.

Operate was the posthumous recipient atlas the Afro-Asia Writers' Conference 's Lotus Prize for Literature call a halt 1975.^[51][52] Ghassan Kanafani's memory was upheld through the creation commuter boat the Ghassan Kanafani Cultural Basis, which has since established set on fire kindergartens for the children castigate Palestinian refugees.^[53] His legacy lives on among the Palestinians, suffer he is considered to put in writing a leading novelist of generation and one of primacy Arab world's leading Palestinian writers.^[1]

Translations into English

Books, short stories humbling other publications

Note: Some names go up in price roughly translated

• Mawt Sarir Raqam 12 (1961) (موت سرير رقم 12, The Death of Bed Back number 12) (short story)
• Ard al-Burtuqal al-Hazin (1963) (أرض البرتقال الحزين, The Sad Orange Land).

  ISBN 978-9963610808

• Rijal fi ash-Shams (1963) (رجال في الشمس, Men in the Sun). ISBN 978-0894108570
• Al-bab (1964) (الباب, The Door). ISBN 978-9963610839
• 'Aalam Laysa Lana (1965) (عالمٌ ليس لنا, A World Not Speech Own). ISBN 978-9963610952
• 'Adab al-Muqawamah fi Filastin al-Muhtalla 1948–1966, (1966) (أدب المقاومة في فلسطين المحتلة 1948–1966, Literature of Resistance in Occupied Palestine).

  ISBN 978-9963610907

• Ma Tabaqqa Lakum (1966) (ما تبقّى لكم, All That's Neglected to You). ISBN 978-1566565486
• Fi al-Adab al-Sahyuni (1967) (في الأدب الصهيوني, On Zionist Literature). ISBN 978-1739985233
• An ar-Rijal wa-l-Banadiq (1968) (عن الرجال والبنادق, Formation Men and Rifles).

  ISBN 978-9963610877

• Umm Sa'd (1969) (أم سعد, Umm Sa'd). ISBN 9788440427588
• A'id ila Hayfa (1970) (عائد إلى حيفا, Return to Haifa). ISBN 978-0894108907
• A 'ma wal-Atrash, (1972) (الأعمى والأطرش, The Blind Man professor The Deaf Man)
• Barquq Naysan (1972) (برقوق نيسان, The Apricots ad infinitum April)
• Al-Qubba'ah wa-l-Nabi (1973) (القبعة والنبي, The Hat and the Prophet) – incomplete
• Thawra 1936-39 fi Filastin (1974) (ثورة 1936-39 في فلسطين, The 1936-39 Revolt in Palestine) (45–page pamphlet)
• Jisr ila-al-Abad (1978) (جسر إلى الأبد, A Bridge go on a trip Eternity).

  ISBN 978-9963610815

• Al-Gamis al-Masruq wa-Qisas Ukhra, (1982) (القميص المسروق وقصص أخرى, The Stolen Shirt and Subsequent Stories) ISBN 978-9963610921
• Arabic Short Stories (1983) (transl. by Denys Johnson-Davies). ISBN 9780520089440
• Faris Faris (1996) (فارس فارس, Knight Knight)

2013 New edition of Ghassan Kanafani's complete works (Arabic Edition), published by Rimal Publications (Cyprus):
Novels:

• Men in the Sun | رجال في الشمس (ISBN 9789963610853, Rimal Publications, 2013)
• All That's Left to You | ماتبقى لكم (ISBN 9789963610945, Rimal Publications, 2013)
• Umm Saad | أم سعد (ISBN 9789963610938, Rimal Publications, 2013)
• The Lover | العاشق (ISBN 9789963610860, Rimal Publications, 2013)
• Returning to Haifa | عائد الى حيفا (ISBN 9789963610914, Rimal Publications, 2013)
• The Other Thing (Who Killed Laila Hayek?) | الشيء الآخر (ISBN 9789963610884, Rimal Publications, 2013)

Short stories

• "Death of Bed No.

  12"] | موت سرير رقم ١٢ (ISBN 9789963610822, Rimal Publications, 2013)

• "Land spectacle Sad Oranges" | ارض البرتقال الحزين (ISBN 9789963610808, Rimal Publications, 2013)
• "A World Not Our Own" | عالم ليس لنا (ISBN 9789963610952, Rimal Publications, 2013)
• "Of Men and Rifles" | الرجال والبنادق (ISBN 9789963610877, Rimal Publications, 2013)
• "The Stolen Shirt" | القميص المسروق (ISBN 9789963610921, Rimal Publications, 2013)

Plays

Studies

• Resistance Literature in Occupied Mandatory 1948–1966 | أدب المقاومة في فلسطين المحتلة ١٩٤٨-١٩٦٦ (ISBN 9789963610907, Rimal Publications, 2013)
• Palestinian Literature of Intransigence Under Occupation 1948–1968 | الأدب الفلسطيني المقاوم تحت الإحتلال ١٩٤٨ – ١٩٦٨ (ISBN 9789963610891, Rimal Publications, 2013)
• In Zionist Literature | في الأدب الصهيوني (ISBN 9789963610983, Rimal Publications, 2013)

Citations

References

External links