A review by zeinaj
Almond Blossoms and Beyond, by Mahmoud Darwish

4.0

It’s weird giving our beloved Palestinian poet a 4 stars, but I’m currently reading In the Presence of Absence and it is hitting me harder than this collection. The “hitting harder” factor is important to me as a Palestinian poet. The imagery in this poetry collection is wistfully breathtaking and it’s an easier read than his Arabic collection I am reading right now: سرير الغريبة. I did not expect his excerpt to Edward Said at the end; that was my favorite part of the collection as I love the somewhat casual style Darwish narrates in. The themes of love, existentialism, and appreciation Darwish is famous for are prominent in the collection and I love how he integrates those themes with Palestinian themes of exile and nature. I would recommend it!