The Palestinian Wedding: A Bilingual Anthology of Contemporary Palestinian Poetry

by Kamal Boullata (Illustrator), Abdelwahab M. Elmessiri (Editor), A. Emlessiri (Editor)

English, Arabic

Genres: Poetry

249 pages, Hardcover

First published May 1, 1982

About the author

Kamal Boullata was a Palestinian writer, artist and art historian.

He worked primarily with acrylic and silkscreen. His work was abstract in style, focusing on the ideas of division in Palestinian identity and separation from homeland. He expressed these ideas through geometric forms as well as through the integration of Arabic words and calligraphy.

Boullata wrote poetry and exhibit reviews, and studied and wrote about art history, art theory, and Palestinian arts. He was published often by the Journal of Palestine Studies (JPS). He has written introductions and exhibit reviews for other artists such as Sophie Halaby, Steve Sabella, and ‘Asim Abu Shaqra.

One of Boullata’s most highly regarded books is Palestinian Art: From 1850 to the Present. It is broken into four parts, Part 1: From Religious to Secular Painting, Part 2: Memory and Resistance, Part 3: Art from the Ghetto, and Part 4: The Evocation of Place. This work represents three decades of Boullata’s scholarly research on Palestinian art and is celebrated as the most comprehensive study on modern Palestinian art.

Reviews

[Becky · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book in my non-western Lit class and although I wasn't thrilled with this book, I did learn from it. My teacher in that class was Arabic and the book came in both Arabic and its English translation. The teacher read the Arabic version for us and I have to say, was truly amazed. I took this class pre-9/11 and am glad I did, because I truly learned a lot about Middle-Eastern culture.

[BADASSBOOKWORM]

Heartbreaking and hopeful.

[Mia Bornstein · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a powerful collection of poetry from some of the most influential writers of their generation. Highly recommend.