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Murīd Barghūthī

I Was Born There, I Was Born Here Hardcover – July 17, 2012

by Mourid Barghouti (Author)

4.7 31 ratings

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In 1996, award-winning Palestinian poet Mourid Barghouti returned to his home for the first time since his exile-first in Egypt, then in Hungary-following the Six-Day War in 1967, and wrote I Saw Ramallah, a poignant and acclaimed memoir of the exile's lot. A few years later, he returned to the Occupied Territories to introduce his Cairo-born son, Tamim, to his Palestinian family. Soon after returning to Egypt, Tamim was arrested for taking part in a demonstration against the impending Iraq War, and ironically was held not only in the same Cairo prison his father had occupied before being expelled from Egypt when Tamim was a baby, but in the very same cell. Tamim then felt the same sting of exile as he was banished from Egypt.

Explaining to his son, and to the world, the life decisions he has made, I Was Born There, I Was Born Here illuminates the path of exile across generations. Ranging freely back and forth in time between the 1990s and the present, Barghouti poignantly recalls Palestinian history and daily life while expressing the meaning of home and the importance of being able to say, standing in a small village in Palestine, "I was born here," rather than saying from exile, "I was born there." His elegant and expressive prose, beautifully rendered in Humphrey Davies' sensitive translation, is full of life and humor in the face of a culture of death. I Was Born There, I Was Born Here is destined, like its predecessor, to become a classic.

Print length

240 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Walker Books
Publication date

July 17, 2012
Dimensions

5.95 x 0.91 x 8.56 inches
ISBN-10

0802779972
ISBN-13

978-0802779977
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Mourid Barghouti
160
Paperback
77 offers from $1.68

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Mourid Barghouti was born in 1944 near Ramallah. He has published thirteen books of poetry in Arabic including a Collected Works (1997) and received the Palestine Award for Poetry in 2000. A selection of his poetry, Midnight and Other Poems, was published in English in 2008. He lives in Cairo with his wife, the novelist and critic Radwa Ashour.

Humphrey Davies has translated many Arabic books by a wide range of authors, including Bahaa Taher, Khaled al-Berry, and Ahmed Alaydi. His translation of Elias Khoury's Gate of the Sun was awarded the Banipal Prize, and that of Alaa Al Aswany's The Yacoubian Building was voted Best Translation of 2007 by the Society of Authors in London.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Walker Books; 1st edition (July 17, 2012)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 240 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0802779972
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0802779977
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 12.5 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.95 x 0.91 x 8.56 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #4,906,097 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #21,509 in Author Biographies
- #76,578 in Community & Culture Biographies
- #127,350 in Memoirs (Books)

Customer Reviews:
4.7 31 ratings

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Customer reviews

4.7 out of 5

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Amazon Customer

Read it, it will educate those that aren't.

Reviewed in the United States on April 8, 2021

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Anybody who has an interest in Palistine this is a must read. It will break your heart.

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Donna Nassor

... you want a deeper understanding of what it is like to be Palestinian living under occupation then please read ...

Reviewed in the United States on October 20, 2014

Verified Purchase

If you want a deeper understanding of what it is like to be Palestinian living under occupation then please read this book. Barghouti's style puts you right there with him as he navigates live in his historic homeland. Educate yourself about what the reality is.

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Amazon Customer

One of the best books I’ve read

Reviewed in the United States on June 27, 2018

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It was like I was reading my own memoir.

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fab

I was born there, I was born here

Reviewed in the United States on February 16, 2013

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Because the author is a poet, it was beautifully written. Really brings up the tragedy of Palestine and how the people are suffering. So moving and sad.

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Sandy

A Palestinian takes us to his birthplace

Reviewed in the United States on April 29, 2016

Verified Purchase

Honest inspiring poetry

Reviewed in the United States on June 25, 2015

Great book!

Thanks for the poet's sharing of personal encounters and his ...

Reviewed in the United States on December 10, 2015

Thanks for the poet's sharing of personal encounters and his deep emotions, not only towards the fate of his homeland but also his very own life.
Nothing is more powerful than the words of an exile talking about exile. He is a true Palestinian belonging to Palestine, not Palestinian Authority nor Jordan.
And I will remember not to call the East side as "West Bank" any more. It belongs to Palestine.

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Top reviews from other countries

Victoria Martin

Moving, funny and hard-hitting

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 18, 2019

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This is a rare treat: a book written by a Palestinian for ALL of us. We so rarely get an insight into what it's like living in an occupied country, or being forced into exile due to occupation. The narrator uses humour to convey his disgust and rage against Israeli injustice. It's extraordinary how needlessly cruel and pointless their behaviour towards Palestinians is shown to be. Above all, Barghouti shows that Palestinians, like the rest of us, have a sense of humour. Unlike most of us, though, they are unbelievably resilient in the face of their predicament, surrounded by poor leaders and yes men. This is also lyrical and beautifully written. Barghouti's a poet, after all, and a superb one, too.

One person found this helpful

Jen18

An enlightening read

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 27, 2013

Verified Purchase

I am old enough to remember the lead up to the fall of the last Shah and have only now realised the full impact his reign had on his country. It is quite a shocking account of the atrocities that took place and I felt sad at how powerless the ordinary people were and at the hardships they had to endure.

Aina

Praise for Barghouti

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 13, 2012

Verified Purchase

I loved this story, this his-story. Mourid Barghouti is first and foremost a poet but his prose is beautiful and lyrical too. He writes of love, family, identity, place, time and loss in a way which touched me more than any other writer ever has. There is so much reason for resentment and bitterness, but you will find none here. Thank you for this gift Mr Barghouti.

4 people found this helpful

Richard Morris

Another displaced person

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 15, 2012

Verified Purchase

Mourid Barghouti is a wonderful poet and writes bitterly and at times laconically about his return to his birthplace where is he is exposed to humiliating treatment with his son. Full of insights that touch the heart and mind

One person found this helpful