Ibrahim Nasrallah profiled in 'The Guardian'

Last week, The Guardian newspaper ran a profile of Jordanian-Palestiniannovelist/poet Ibrahim Nasrallah. Of course I was thrilled to see a fellowcountryman profiled in such a highlyacclaimed publication. However, it ailed to realize that the focus of the articlewas on the constant harassment he was/is receiving from the notorious Jordanian censorshipdepartment. It really is a shame what intellectuals have to go through in our part ofthe world for simply speaking up. Here are some excerpts of the article:

Last June, a journalist phoned Ibrahim Nasrallah and askedhim how it felt to face a host of charges concerning national security. It wasthe Jordanian-Palestinian writer's first warning that he was facing prosecution ... The charges related to his fourth collection of poetry,Nu'man Yastariddu Lawnahu (Anemone Regains Its Colour). These highly figurativepoems, first published in 1984, were suddenly banned, while the poet himselffaced charges of insulting the state, inciting dissension and reportinginaccurate information to future generations.

... The authorities raided the offices of his Lebanesepublisher in the Jordanian capital, Amman, confiscating copies of the banned collection. Protests from the Jordanian Writers' Association and the Arab Writers' Union were soon joined by support from the press in Jordan and the rest of the Arab world, while an internet campaign mobilised support from further afield. After almost four weeks which Nasrallah remembers being "haunted by these threats", the case was dropped on July 9 2006.

You can read the whole article here. I have to admit, I have never read anything by Nasrallah. Shameon me I know. Anyone out there willing to loan one of his books (In Arabicplease)? Now after reading this article, I'm really intrigued. Here are two of his of poems translatedby Ibrahim Muhawi.

Battles They'll wake up in the morning And they will fight That which you saw last night was my dream The other will answer: no, it was my dream They will gently retrieve two pistols From the sides of the same pillow And at the same moment They will fire

Bewildered In the beginning The horses said, we need plains The eagles said, we need summits The snakes said, we need lairs But the humans remained bewildered