Samira Alkhatib

Samira Al-Khatib
Born	1945 (1945) Quds
Died	2021 (aged 75–76) United States
Citizenship	Palestine
Occupation	Poet
Notable work	The Adulterous Village 40 Poems to Mishaal

Samira Al-Khatib was born in 1945 in Jerusalem and died in 2021 in the United States of America. She was a Palestinian poet and writer who was well known for her literary and cultural resistance to Israel's rule.

Early life and education

Samira Al - Khatib was born in Jerusalem. She lived and grew up in her villages, streets, and at some point emigrated to the United States of America. From there, she began her contributions to the Palestinian question in international forums and among American public opinion, alongside another Palestinian poet Rashed Hussain.

Career

Samira Al-Khatib began her career in writing, and publishing in general, and in poetry in particular, early when she published some of her poems in the "Literary Bayader" magazine of its founder and owner, Jacques Khazmo. In most of her texts, Samira has adhered to the Palestinian national position in support of the causes, concerns, and dreams of her people.

In her poems, Samira Al-Khatib addressed Palestinian life and patriotic themes inspired by reality, and, as some critics have mentioned, tried to inflame her poems with Palestinian sentiments, as well as to employ heritage and civilizational symbols of expression.

Samira and a group of Palestinian intellectuals founded the Galilee Cultural Fund, which aimed to educate Palestinian youth from Galilee and Triangle and help them continue their academic studies. She worked for some time in the UAE newspaper "Unity," and in the London magazine "Al - Zafara."

In 1963, Samira broke into the premises of a local radio station with an Algerian friend, but they failed to operate the equipment and Radio Bayan was against his well-intended presence. Samira's father was called on the second day of intelligence and paid bail to release her. Samira moved to cultural protest by writing an emotional story called "Lealina," and Samira said that when some of those interested in literature in Palestine saw her, they were asking her about the real writer. Samira wrote her first novel, "Where the Sun Rises," in 1966, where she wrote some English chapters.

In 1975, Samira moved to the legal profession in an attempt to defend the Palestinian cause. Samira said in one of the discussions with a local newspaper that the sharp conversations she had with the Zionists enabled her to deal with them firmly and that her proficiency in the Hebrew language enabled her to read most books. Samira was arrested by soldiers in the Israeli occupation army and confiscated all her papers, including two poetry collections, “The Adulterous Village” and “40 Poems to Mishaal” and the manuscript “Gentlemen Step Down, I Will Hold the reins,” along with her school certificates and some medical reports.

Samira moved to live in the United Kingdom in August 1977 until November 1979, where she worked as a journalist in Al-Manar newspaper, owned by Riad Al-Rayes, then worked in the July 23 magazine, and besides this, she lectured on the Palestinian issue in a number of universities and forums. After that, Samira Al-Khatib traveled to the United Arab Emirates and worked for Al-Wahda newspaper and Al-Dhafra magazine, which was published by Muhammad Mahfouz and issued from London. During her life, Samira Al-Khatib was one of the most prominent Palestinian poets, along with Li Karnik, Fadwa Toukan, and Laila Alloush.

Works

This is a shortlist of the most prominent works of the Palestinian writer and poet Samira al-Khatib:

• The Adulterous Village
• 40 Poems to Mishaal