The story of the return after long years of exile to Ramallah in the West Bank in September 1996 is one of the highest forms of existential writing of the Palestinian diaspora that we have now, and I am pleased to be able to say a few words as an introduction to this work. Having myself made a similar journey to Jerusalem (after an absence of 45 years), I know all too well the mixture of feelings, where happiness and regret, sadness and astonishment and indignation and other emotions accompany such a return. The greatness, power and freshness of Mourid Barghouti’s book lies in its painfully accurate recording of this entire emotional mix, and in its ability to give clarity and clarity to the whirlpool of feelings and thoughts that overwhelm one in such situations.
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