Fadwa Touqan

Fadwa Touqan ( Arabic فدوى طوقان, DMG Fadwā Ṭūqān , also Fadwa Tuqan ; * March 1, 1917 in Nablus , Palestine; † December 12, 2003 ibid) was a well-known contemporary poet from Palestine .

Life

Fadwa Touqan was born in 1917 in Nablus into the important Touqan family. Her oldest brother is Ahmad Touqan , former Prime Minister of Jordan, and another of her brothers is Ibrahim Touqan , also known as the "Poet of Palestine". Fadwa attended school until the age of 13, but then had to leave for health reasons. From then on, her brother Ibrahim took responsibility for her upbringing and made a significant contribution to her education by giving her books to read and teaching her English. He was also the one who introduced her to poetry. Later Fadwa Touqan attended Oxford University , where she studied English and literature. Touqan died on December 12, 2003, at the height of the Al-Aqsa Intifada , while her hometown Nablus was besieged.

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Touqan is considered a symbol of the Palestinian cause and one of the most important figures in modern Arabic literature. Touqan's poetry is known for providing a distinctive chronicle of the suffering of her people, especially under the Israeli occupation. However, central themes are also women, love and social protest. Touqan published eight volumes of poetry and gained fame all over the Arab world. Her works have been translated into many languages. Her book Alone With Days focused on the needs of women in the male-dominated Arab world. After the Six Day War , Touqan's poetry focused on the rigors of life under the Israeli occupation. One of her best known poems, The Night and the Horsemen , describes life under Israeli military rule.

Prices

• International Poetry Award in Palermo, Italy
• Jerusalem Prize for Art and Culture from the PLO , 1990
• United Arab Emirates Award, 1990
• Honorary Palestine Prize for Poetry, 1996