In Memory of Mohammed Hamza Ghanayem (1957-2004)

January 18, 2006 The Israeli Arab poet and translator Mohammed Hamza Ghanayem died of cancer at the end of May in his village, Baq’a al-Gharbiya, in the central region of Israel known as “the Triangle”; he was only 47 at the time of his death. I recently received yet another reminder of the vast extent of the cultural work of this well-loved man – the excellent Hebrew version of the novel Zohara by the Lebanese writer Hannan Alsheikh (Andalus Press) – just one small part of the enterprise Ghanayem built with great effort and persistence. He usually worked alone, almost in isolation.

Mohammed was an innovative Arab poet, far from slogans; despite the fact that he published five collections in Arabic, he never received the amount of attention awarded lesser poets who dealt with topical issues in a blunt manner, and yet I am sure that his poetry will eventually be recognized by those who are able to appreciate and interpret it, and who will emphasize its special place in Palestinian Arabic literature.

Ghanayem devoted most of his literary energy to the encounter between Arabic and Hebrew writing in two areas in particular. He translated from Hebrew to Arabic, including many prose works and excerpts from major works of modern Hebrew literature. Most of his translations into Arabic were taken from contemporary Hebrew poetry. He collected these into several anthologies; to the last one, We’re Writing to You, Poetry Homeland (Acco, 2000), he added a historical introduction which bears witness to a deep understanding of and unconcealed delight in the work of contemporary Hebrew poets.

Ghanayem also translated from Arabic into Hebrew, work which appeared in Israeli newspapers and periodicals over the years. The jewel in the crown is a huge project which he undertook to carry out by himself: the translation of all the work of the Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish into Hebrew. Three volumes have been published to date by the Babel and Andalus presses, and a fourth, Fresco is currently in publication.

I am emphasizing that Ghanayem insisted on translating entire collections just as they were in the original, despite the difficulties posed by certain poems, which aren’t ‘photogenic’ in terms of translation, due to semantic and conceptual differences between languages, even more so when they are languages of two peoples who have been alienated from each other for generations. Taking into account Darwish’s virtuosity and complexity, the extent of the translator’s ambition and capability become even clearer.

I have detailed only a few of Ghanayem’s contributions to the literary encounter between the two languages of Israel. When I say ‘encounter’ I recall another of his achievements, the Hebrew-Arabic literary journal Mifgash/Liqaa’ (Encounter), which he edited from 1984-1991. It developed into a respected literary platform, creating a genuine dialogue, however difficult at times, between Arabic and Hebrew literature; it also served to provide translation exercises, and most of its contents spoke of the beauty of the homeland, praising peace and brotherhood among men. Ghanayem, as editor, continued the tradition of translation alongside original, choosing texts dealing with the struggles of Palestinians and Israelis with their infernal reality. The Israeli establishment which funded the journal was disturbed by Ghanayem’s approach, but allowed him to remain in his position as editor, because of its high literary quality.

Excerpted and translated with permission for PIW from Haaretz 4 November 2004, Friday culture supplement, E4.