Success stories of Palestinian achievers from all over the world

Samira Khatib

Personal Info

  • Country of residence: United States
  • Gender: Female
  • Born in: 1945
  • Age: 77
  • Curriculum vitae :

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 through her literary and cultural struggle against the Israeli occupation.

Early life and education
Samira al-Khatib was born in the city of Jerusalem, but lived and grew up in its alleys, alleys and streets, and 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 the American public opinion, along with the other Palestinian poet Rashid Hussein.

career path
oof mashal
And passion no longer hurts me so much since we met, and the Galilee formulates the seeds of the impossible and restores me the hours of the meeting numbers.

—From the poem “Mishaal No. 36”
Samira Al-Khatib began her career in the field of writing, authoring and publishing in general and in the field of poetry in particular, early when she published some of her poems in the literary magazine “Al Bayader Literary” for its founder and owner Jack Khazmo. In most of her texts, Samira adhered to the Palestinian national position in support of her people's issues, concerns and dreams.

In her poems, Samira al-Khatib dealt with Palestinian life and patriotic themes inspired by reality, and she tried - as some critics mentioned - to overburden her poems with Palestinian feelings, as she employed heritage and civilizational symbols for expression.

Samira and 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 at one time for Al Wahda newspaper published in the United Arab Emirates, and for Al Dhafra magazine, which was published by journalist Mohamed Mahfouz in London.

In 1963, Samira stormed the headquarters of a local radio station with an Algerian friend, but they failed to turn on the equipment and broadcast a statement that they were well against. Samira's father was summoned on the second day of the Mukhabarat and paid bail for her release. Samira moved to a cultural protest and began writing an emotional story called “Layalina.” Samira says that when some people interested in literature in Palestine saw her, they asked her about the real writer. Samira wrote her first novel under the title "Where the Sun Rises" in 1966, of which she wrote some chapters in English.

In 1975, Samira moved to the legal profession in an attempt to defend the Palestinian cause. Samira said in one of the discussions with a local newspaper that the sharp conversations she had with the Zionists enabled her to deal with them firmly, and that her proficiency in the Hebrew language enabled her to read most books. Samira was arrested by soldiers in the Israeli occupation army and confiscated all her papers, including two poetry collections, “The Adulterous Village” and “40 Poems to Mishaal” and the manuscript “Gentlemen, step aside, I will take control,” along with her school certificates and some medical reports.

Samira moved to live in the United Kingdom in August 1977 until November 1979, where she worked as a journalist in Al-Manar newspaper, owned by Riad Al-Rayes, then worked in the July 23 magazine, and besides this, she lectured on the Palestinian issue in a number of universities and forums. After that, Samira Al-Khatib traveled to the United Arab Emirates and worked for Al-Wahda newspaper and Al-Dhafra magazine, which was published by Muhammad Mahfouz and published from London.

During her life, Samira al-Khatib was one of the most prominent poets of Palestine, along with Lee Karnik, Fadwa Toukan 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.

 

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Achievements and Awards

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