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International Arabic Language Day
December 18, 20187:00 p.m.
MADRID
Casa Árabe Auditorium (at Calle Alcalá, 62).
7:00 p.m.
Free entry until the event’s capacity is reached.
In Spanish and Arabic.
On the occasion of this celebration, held each year on December 18, Casa
Árabe has organized an homage to the Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish,
upon the tenth anniversary of his death.
In the year of 2012, UNESCO established December 18 as International Arabic Language Day as a way to call for the promotion of cultural and linguistic diversity in the world as a core feature of mankind’s cultural wealth. The Arabic language, in both its classical form and the numerous dialects that have evolved from it, is a universal language, through which the identities, beliefs and aspirations of peoples on every continent are expressed. It is a bridge between cultures and a concrete medium for complementing knowledge, perceptions and mutual understanding in favor of peace.
To commemorate this date, Casa Árabe has organized an homage to Mahmoud Darwish, one of the most renowned poets in the Arabic language, coinciding with the tenth anniversary of his death. Taking part in the event are Farouk Mardam-Bey, director of the “Sindbad” collection published by Actes Sud; Luz Gómez, a professor of Arab studies at the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid and a translator of Darwish; Jorge Gimeno, a poet, and Amir-John Haddad EL AMIR, a musician.
After a quick overview of the works by the poet from his earliest era, Farouk Mardam-Bey will be presenting Darwish’s poetic journey from the time he took up residence in Paris in 1983 until his death in 2008. It will also include several memories of the speaker’s friendship, as he accompanied the poet on his travels and at his seminars. The event will also include participation by Arabist Luz Gómez, who is speaking about her experience as a translator of the author’s works, for which she received the National Translation Award of 2012. As for Spanish writer Jorge Gimeno, he will be discussing Darwish’s work from a poetic perspective, with the accompanient of a poetry reading and a concert.
Event information sheet
Mahmoud Darwish (1941-2008) was considered Palestine’s national poet and one of the most famous men of letters in the contemporary Arab world. His poems have been taught at schools around the Arab world. They have been set to music, as well, and some of his verses now form part of the fabric of modern Arab culture. In his work, Palestine became a metaphor for the loss of Eden and reflects the anguish over being plundered and sent into exile.
In many of his interviews, Mahmoud Darwish said that he had been poetically born in several stages and that Paris was the place where his poetry truly came to life. He claimed that that city had allowed him to devote most of his time to reading and writing, and to reflecting upon the conditions of homeland and the world, far from the everyday concerns of politics.
To commemorate this date, Casa Árabe has organized an homage to Mahmoud Darwish, one of the most renowned poets in the Arabic language, coinciding with the tenth anniversary of his death. Taking part in the event are Farouk Mardam-Bey, director of the “Sindbad” collection published by Actes Sud; Luz Gómez, a professor of Arab studies at the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid and a translator of Darwish; Jorge Gimeno, a poet, and Amir-John Haddad EL AMIR, a musician.
After a quick overview of the works by the poet from his earliest era, Farouk Mardam-Bey will be presenting Darwish’s poetic journey from the time he took up residence in Paris in 1983 until his death in 2008. It will also include several memories of the speaker’s friendship, as he accompanied the poet on his travels and at his seminars. The event will also include participation by Arabist Luz Gómez, who is speaking about her experience as a translator of the author’s works, for which she received the National Translation Award of 2012. As for Spanish writer Jorge Gimeno, he will be discussing Darwish’s work from a poetic perspective, with the accompanient of a poetry reading and a concert.
Event information sheet
Mahmoud Darwish (1941-2008) was considered Palestine’s national poet and one of the most famous men of letters in the contemporary Arab world. His poems have been taught at schools around the Arab world. They have been set to music, as well, and some of his verses now form part of the fabric of modern Arab culture. In his work, Palestine became a metaphor for the loss of Eden and reflects the anguish over being plundered and sent into exile.
In many of his interviews, Mahmoud Darwish said that he had been poetically born in several stages and that Paris was the place where his poetry truly came to life. He claimed that that city had allowed him to devote most of his time to reading and writing, and to reflecting upon the conditions of homeland and the world, far from the everyday concerns of politics.
Farouk Mardam-Bey (Damascus, 1944) is an publisher of Syrian origin who
has resided in France since 1965. He was the head of the library at the
Institute of the Arab World, where he is currently a Cultural Advisor.
Since 1981, he has been the director of the publication of the Revue
d’études palestiniennes and since 1995 has been the editor and director
of the “Sindbad” collection by Actes Sud. Published in French, he is
also the author, translator and editor of approximately 25 books on
international policy, literature and gourmet cuisine. As for Darwish’s
work, he has been a translator and co-translator of “Memory for
Oblivion” and “In the Presence of Absence.” With a bachelor’s degree in
Political Science from the University of Caen and in Teaching History
from the University of Paris VII.
Luz Gómez García (Madrid, 1967) is a professor of Arab and Islamic Studies at the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (UAM). With a PhD in Arabic Philology from the UAM, she expanded her studies at the American University in Cairo. She has also been an associate professor of Translation at the University of Alicante and a visiting scholar at Columbia University in New York. Most notable are her translations of Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish, which forged the recognition of that author’s work in Spain. In 2012, she won the National Translation Award of that year for In the Presence of Absence.
Jorge Gimeno (Madrid, 1964) is a Spanish poet who writes in the Spanish language. He holds a PhD in Romance Philology from the Universidad Complutense de Madrid. He was a professor at the University of Baghdad (Iraq) and at the Cervantes Institutes of Fez (Morocco) and Lisbon (Portugal). He has authored three reference books in Spanish poetry in recent years: Espíritu a saltos (“Spirit in Bits and Pieces”), La tierra nos agobia (“The Earth Overwhelms Us”) and Me despierto, me despierto, me despierto (“I Awake, I Awake, I Awake”).
Amir-John Haddad EL AMIR (Freiburg im Breisgau, 1975) is a guitarist and multi-instrumentalist born to a Colombian mother and a Palestinian father. He has been based in Spain since 1997. He was the official oud player and guitarist of Radio Tarifa for nearly ten years, and while he held that position he was nominated for Best Folk Music Album at the Latin Grammys in 2004.
Luz Gómez García (Madrid, 1967) is a professor of Arab and Islamic Studies at the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (UAM). With a PhD in Arabic Philology from the UAM, she expanded her studies at the American University in Cairo. She has also been an associate professor of Translation at the University of Alicante and a visiting scholar at Columbia University in New York. Most notable are her translations of Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish, which forged the recognition of that author’s work in Spain. In 2012, she won the National Translation Award of that year for In the Presence of Absence.
Jorge Gimeno (Madrid, 1964) is a Spanish poet who writes in the Spanish language. He holds a PhD in Romance Philology from the Universidad Complutense de Madrid. He was a professor at the University of Baghdad (Iraq) and at the Cervantes Institutes of Fez (Morocco) and Lisbon (Portugal). He has authored three reference books in Spanish poetry in recent years: Espíritu a saltos (“Spirit in Bits and Pieces”), La tierra nos agobia (“The Earth Overwhelms Us”) and Me despierto, me despierto, me despierto (“I Awake, I Awake, I Awake”).
Amir-John Haddad EL AMIR (Freiburg im Breisgau, 1975) is a guitarist and multi-instrumentalist born to a Colombian mother and a Palestinian father. He has been based in Spain since 1997. He was the official oud player and guitarist of Radio Tarifa for nearly ten years, and while he held that position he was nominated for Best Folk Music Album at the Latin Grammys in 2004.