NIE! "Nothing More To Lose" by Najwan Darwish

Title: Nothing More To Lose
Author: Najwan Darwish

Translator: Kareem James Abu-Zeid 

A poet from Jerusalem, Najwan Darwish has been well received across the globe since publishing his first collection of poetry in 2000. Nothing More To Lost, published in 2014, has been translated into 10 languages. Abu-Zeid, who has translated multiple works from Arabic into English, provides not only an extremely accessible translation, but also a more true one. In an interview with Liz Kelly for Three Percent, he discussed in length how he collaborated with the author in creating the most accurate and fluid translation possible.

Photo of Darwish from PEN

And this collection emits strength. Each word, each line feels grounded in earth and fire. Through my first reading, I worked through the entire book of poetry in one sitting. Most poems are short but packed with imagery and a strong dose of daily reality.

Darwish speaks of liberty, of occupation, of history and daily life, many wrapped with religious allusions to Christianity, Islam and Judaism. A sense of rawness permeates from the collection. Many of the poems are keen criticisms of ideologies that often we take for granted, and fail to study closely. For example, in his poem Liberty, Darwish introduces to opposing images of an ideal venerated in the USA:

"Liberty Leading the People has two bare breasts  

her right hand holds the French Flag

her left a rifle with a bayonet

But notice too how barefoot Liberty

tramples the people beneath her" 

Libery Leading the Peopl by Delacroix

The both stanzas focus on a famous French painting by Delacroix. With the first three lines, we envision the victory of independence over tyranny, the triumph of nationalism. However, in the second stanza, Najwan directions us to the bottom of the painting, to the bloodied corpses assembled at triumph's feet. These two images, from the same ideal, from the same painting, portray the heavy cost of independence - but also imply the cruelty of the struggle.

Some personal favorites among the collection are "'Who Remembers the Armenians'" and "In The Trap", although I enjoyed the entire work. 

Nothing More to Lose is available in Paperback and E-book formats, for both the Kindle and Nook. And if you still aren't sure why this book should be on your reading list (and it should), check out this video of the translator, Abu-Zeid, reading "Sleeping in Gaza":

Need to sate the poetry craving? Check out Maria Nephele by Odysseus Elytis.