Personal Info
- Country of residence: United States
Information
Samira Al-Khatib (born in 1945 in Jerusalem - died on June 11, 2021 in the United States of America ) was a Palestinian writer and poet known for her literary and cultural struggle against the Israeli occupation . She also published a number of poetry collections and poems, perhaps the most prominent of which is “The Adulterous Village.”
Early life and education
Samira Al-Khatib was born in the city of Jerusalem , and lived and grew up in its alleys, neighborhoods, and streets. She then immigrated at some point to the United States of America. From there, she began her contributions to raising the Palestinian issue in international forums and among American public opinion, alongside another Palestinian poet, Rashid Hussein .
Career
Samira Al-Khatib began her professional career in the field of writing, composition and publishing in general and in the field of poetry in particular early on when she published some of her poems in the magazine “Al-Bayader Al-Adabi” by its founder and owner Jack Khazmo . Later, she published a collection of poetry entitled “The Adulterous Village”. In most of her texts, Samira adhered to the Palestinian national position supporting the issues, concerns and dreams of her people.
In her poems, Samira Al-Khatib dealt with Palestinian life and national topics inspired by reality, and she tried - as some critics mentioned - to fill her poems with Palestinian feelings, and she also employed heritage and cultural symbols for expression.
Samira, along with a group of Palestinian intellectuals, founded the Galilee Cultural Fund, which aimed to educate Palestinian youth from the Galilee and the Triangle and help them continue their academic studies. She worked for a time in the newspaper “Al-Wahda” published in the United Arab Emirates, and in the magazine “Al-Dhafra” published by the journalist Muhammad Mahfouz in London.
In 1963, Samira and an Algerian friend stormed a local radio station, but they failed to operate the equipment and broadcast a statement they had carefully prepared against. Samira's father was summoned to the intelligence services the next day and paid bail for her release. Samira moved to cultural protest, starting by writing a romantic story called "Our Nights." Samira says that when some people interested in literature in Palestine read it, they asked her who the real author was. Samira wrote her first novel, "Where the Sun Rises," in 1966, writing some chapters in English.
In 1975, Samira moved to the legal profession in an attempt to defend the Palestinian cause. Samira said in a discussion with a local newspaper that the sharp dialogues she had with the Zionists had enabled her to deal with them with firmness, and that her mastery of the Hebrew language had enabled her to read most books. Samira was arrested by soldiers in the Israeli occupation army, who confiscated all her papers, including two poetry collections, “The Harlot Village” and “40 Poems to Mashaal,” and the manuscript “Step aside, gentlemen, for I will hold the reins,” in addition to her academic certificates and some medical reports.
Samira moved to live in the United Kingdom in August 1977 until November 1979, where she worked in journalism at Al-Manar newspaper, owned by Riad Al-Rayyes, then worked at 23 July magazine. In addition to this, she lectured on the Palestinian cause at a number of universities and forums. Samira Al-Khatib then traveled to the United Arab Emirates and worked at Al-Wahda newspaper and Al-Dhafra magazine, which was published by Muhammad Mahfouz and published from London.
During her lifetime, Samira al-Khatib was one of the most prominent Palestinian poets, alongside Lee Kernik , Fadwa Tuqan, and Laila Alloush .
List of her works
This is a short list of the most prominent works of the Palestinian writer and poet Samira Al-Khatib:
The adulterous village.
40 poems to Mishaal.
It was said about her
The writer Nabeel Al-Qassem says : “ Laila Alloush , Samira Al-Khatib, Sahar Khalifa , and Laila Karnik are creative women who illuminated the nation with their distinctive creativity.”
Source
Achievements and Awards
- Years in active
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