ARAB 048. Poetry as Homeland: Mahmoud Darwish’s Late Prose and Poetry (1986-2008)

This course is a continuation of ARAB 041 and focuses on the later prose and poetry of Mahmoud Darwish. It examines the major transformations in his writing from the mid-1980s until his death, a period in which his work shifts from an outwardly focused national discourse to a more reflective and personal mode. Students will explore themes such as memory, exile, personal loss, childhood, mortality, and philosophical reflection, and consider how these concerns shape Darwish’s late literary voice.

Readings include Memory for Forgetfulness, Fewer Roses, In the Presence of Absence, and selected poems from the 1990s and early 2000s. Through close reading and discussion, the course examines Darwish’s experimentation with condensed forms, poetic prose, and abstraction, creating a literary space in which words themselves become a homeland. These texts reveal his sustained engagement with selfhood, loss, and existential reflection, while maintaining a deep connection to Palestinian identity.

By the end of the course, students will have developed advanced skills in reading and interpreting Mahmoud Darwish’s later poetry and prose in Arabic, with particular attention to abstraction, form, genre, voice, and autobiographical poetics. They will strengthen their ability to carry out close, sustained readings of highly complex literary texts and to situate Darwish’s late work within its cultural, historical, and intellectual contexts.

This course is conducted primarily in Arabic, with occasional discussions in English to support the analysis of more challenging texts and concepts. Advanced proficiency in Arabic is required.
Prerequisite: ARAB 041 or permission of the instructor.
Humaities.
1 credit.
Spring 2026. Al-Masri.
Catalog chapter: Modern Languages and Literatures: Arabic
Department website: https://www.swarthmore.edu/arabic

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