Recently Viewed

New

Among the Almond Trees: A Palestinian Memoir by Hussein Barghouthi

No reviews yet Write a Review
RRP: £15.99
Booksplease Price: £15.00
Booksplease saves you

  Delivery: We ship to over 200 countries from the UK
  Range: Millions of books available
  Reviews: Booksplease rated "Excellent" on Trustpilot

  FREE UK DELIVERY: When you buy 3 or more books on Booksplease - Use code: FREEUKDELIVERY in your cart!

SKU:
9780857428967
MPN:
9780857428967
Available from Booksplease!
Availability: Usually dispatched within 5 working days

Frequently Bought Together:

Total: Inc. VAT
Total: Ex. VAT

Description

A poetically written and bitterly sweet memoir about nature, death, life in Palestine, and the universal concept of home.

Palestinian writer Hussein Barghouthi was in his late forties when he was diagnosed with lymphoma. He had feared it was HIV, so when the cancer diagnosis was confirmed, he left the hospital feeling a bitter joy because his wife and son would be spared. The bittersweetness of this reaction characterizes the alternating moods of narration and reflection that distinguish this meditative memoir, Among the Almond Trees.

Barghouthi's way of dealing with finality is to return to memories of childhood in the village of his birth in central Palestine, where the house in which he grew up is surrounded by almond and fig orchards. He takes many healing walks in the moonlit shadows of the trees, where he observes curious foxes, dancing gazelles, a badger with an unearthly cry, a weasel, and a wild boar with its young-a return not only to the house but to nature itself. The author decides to build a house where he would live with his wife and son, in whom he sees a renewal of life. The realization of his impending death also urges him to vocalize this experience, and he relates the progress of the disease at infrequent intervals. And, ultimately, he details the imaginative possibility of a return to life-to the earth, where he would be buried among the almond trees.

About the Author
Hussein Barghouthi (1954-2002) was a Palestinian poet, writer, essayist, critic, lyricist, playwright, and philosopher. Born in Palestine, he earned his MA and PhD in the United States before going on to teach at Birzeit University and Al-Quds University. His best-known work, The Blue Light, is forthcoming in English translation in 2022 from Seagull Books. Born in Palestine, Ibrahim Muhawi has taught at universities in North America, the Middle East, and Europe, before devoting himself to translating Palestinian literature and folklore in retirement.

Reviews
"Among the Almond Trees is a memoir transformed into a powerful testament; it glimpses beyond the horizon line of life and death into a place of art, memory, and the poetics of the ordinary. . . . A spiritual memoir that's concerned with the mutability and impenetrability of language and life, Among the Almond Trees creates a taxonomy of presence and absence that makes continuity from seeming opposites, one that's filled with nuance and largesse for both the Palestinian people and the nearer pain of Barghouthi's own illness and looming death." * Foreword (Starred Review) *
"By unearthing the fairytales that his mother told him in his youth and adding his own mythologization of the countryside, Barghouthi challenges the settler colonial imaginary of Palestine... The memoir's political power lies in its celebration of and contribution to the poetics of the Palestinian countryside... Ibrahim Muhawi's masterful translation of this highly complex memoir is a much-needed step in the further dissemination of Arabic autobiographical writing at the global stage." * Washington Report on Middle Eastern Affairs *
"In his writings... Barghouthi strove to dull the sharp edges of whatever tries to obscure or diminish the very essence of human life." * On the Seawall *
"Stories have presence, which is what Barghouti brings forth in his memoir. The presence of Palestine permeates the book, and so does the author's presence, despite impending death." * Middle East Monitor *



Book Information
ISBN 9780857428967
Author Hussein Barghouthi
Format Hardback
Page Count 154
Imprint Seagull Books London Ltd
Publisher Seagull Books London Ltd
Dimensions(mm) 229mm * 152mm * 30mm

Reviews

No reviews yet Write a Review

Booksplease  Reviews


J - United Kingdom

Fast and efficient way to choose and receive books

This is my second experience using Booksplease. Both orders dealt with very quickly and despatched. Now waiting for my next read to drop through the letterbox.

J - United Kingdom

T - United States

Will definitely use again!

Great experience and I have zero concerns. They communicated through the shipping process and if there was any hiccups in it, they let me know. Books arrived in perfect condition as well as being fairly priced. 10/10 recommend. I will definitely shop here again!

T - United States

R - Spain

The shipping was just superior

The shipping was just superior; not even one of the books was in contact with the shipping box -anywhere-, not even a corner or the bottom, so all the books arrived in perfect condition. The international shipping took around 2 weeks, so pretty great too.

R - Spain

J - United Kingdom

Found a hard to get book…

Finding a hard to get book on Booksplease and with it not being an over inflated price was great. Ordering was really easy with updates on despatch. The book was packaged well and in great condition. I will certainly use them again.

J - United Kingdom