Personal Info
- Country of residence: Palestine
Information
Tawfiq Amin Zayyad (May 7, 1929 - July 5, 1994) was a Palestinian poet, writer, and politician from the city of Nazareth. He served as the mayor of Nazareth until his death. He was also a member of the Israeli Knesset for several elections for the Israeli Communist Party, Rakah.
Tawfiq Amin Ziyad was a Palestinian poet and writer. Tawfiq Ziyad was born in the city of Nazareth in 1929 and died on July 5, 1994 in a terrible road accident on his way to receive Yasser Arafat back to Jericho after the Oslo Accords. He held the position of mayor of Nazareth until his death.
He studied first in Nazareth, then went to Moscow to study Soviet literature. Throughout the years he lived, he participated in the political life of the Palestinians inside the Occupied Territories, and fought for the rights of his people. He was a member of the Israeli Communist Party, Rakah, and became a member of the Israeli Knesset for more than one election cycle as a representative of the Rakah Party. He was also for a long time until the day of his death the mayor of Nazareth. In addition to his translations from Russian literature and the works of the Turkish poet Nazem Hikmat, Tawfiq Ziyad published a number of poetry collections, including: “Strengthen Your Hands (1966), which is a landmark in the history of the Palestinian struggle against Israel. The aforementioned collection includes a number of poems that revolve around Valor and resistance, and some of these poems turned into songs and became part of the living heritage of the songs of the Palestinian resistance.
Tawfiq Ziyad played an important role in the strike of the events of the Palestinian Land Day on March 30, 1976, when thousands of Arabs from the 48 Palestinians demonstrated against the land confiscation and the Judaization of the Galilee.
He married Naela Youssef Sabbagh and had two sons: Amin and Fares and two daughters: Wahiba and Obour.
His literary works
Tawfiq Zayyad has many literary works, the most famous of which is “Stronger on Your Hands” published in 1966. He also translated a number of works from Russian literature and from the works of the Turkish poet Nazim Hikmat.
His poetic works
Tougher on your hands (Ittihad Press, Haifa, 1966 AD).
Bury your dead and rise up (Dar Al-Awda, Beirut, 1969 AD).
Songs of Revolution and Anger (Beirut, 1969 AD).
his other works
On popular literature / a study (Dar Al-Awda, Beirut, 1970 AD).
Nasrawi in the Red Square / Diaries (Al-Nahda Press, Nazareth, 1972 AD.
Images of Palestinian popular literature / study (Arab Institute for Studies and Publishing, Beirut, 1974 AD).
Achievements and Awards
Honoring
He was awarded the “Jerusalem Medal for Culture, Arts and Literature” from the Palestine Liberation Organization. The Tawfiq Zayyad Foundation for National Culture and Creativity was established to deal with his literary production. The “Tawfiq Ziyad Literary Award” was also established in his honor.
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