Mahmoud Darwish and the 1982 Siege of Beirut: The End of a World, the Construction of Another

Mahmoud Darwish and the 1982 Siege of Beirut:  The End of a World, the Construction of Another

Mahmoud Darwish lived through the 1982 Israeli siege of Beirut, a time he later described in apocalyptic terms. In the autobiographical work Dhākira li-l-nisyān (Memory for Forgetfulness), he describes life during the siege as a break in time. History collapsed in on itself, bearing its full weight upon the city of Beirut and its inhabitants. In this talk, I will lead you through his journey through a time "out of joint," towards his new poetic task of writing a new world into being at the end of history.

About the speaker: Jonathan Jonsson is a PhD candidate at the University of Oslo, with an MA degree in Middle East Studies and a BA in philosophy. This talk is based on their MA thesis "The Music of Human Flesh: The Lived Time and Body of Exile in Ḏākira li-l-nisyān by Maḥmūd Darwīš."

Everyone is welcome for this riveting talk!