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Song of the Caged Bird: Words as Resistance in Palestine
For political readers and anyone invested in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Marcello Di Cintio's Song of the Caged Bird is a refreshing look at Palestinian resistance--through literature and the power of books.
When Marcello Di Cintio began teaching at the Palestine Writing Workshop in Ramallah, he avoided making reference to the occupation in his assignments at first--to see if his students addressed it on their own--and he soon learned that it touches all aspects of Palestinian life. Curious how Palestinian literature could operate with its people so tied to a single narrative, Di Cintio began a journey through the Palestinian world of from the monument to the poet Mahmoud Darwish to the volumes in the Nablus Prisoners' library; from one of the West Bank's most successful bookshops to a century-old library in Jerusalem run by a family with a lineage in that city many centuries older. What he found is a world of identity and resistance that is considerably more complex--and potentially more hopeful--than what we see splashed across our screens.
When Marcello Di Cintio began teaching at the Palestine Writing Workshop in Ramallah, he avoided making reference to the occupation in his assignments at first--to see if his students addressed it on their own--and he soon learned that it touches all aspects of Palestinian life. Curious how Palestinian literature could operate with its people so tied to a single narrative, Di Cintio began a journey through the Palestinian world of from the monument to the poet Mahmoud Darwish to the volumes in the Nablus Prisoners' library; from one of the West Bank's most successful bookshops to a century-old library in Jerusalem run by a family with a lineage in that city many centuries older. What he found is a world of identity and resistance that is considerably more complex--and potentially more hopeful--than what we see splashed across our screens.
47 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 7, 2014
2 people are currently reading
30 people want to read
About the author
Marcello Di Cintio
14 books67 followersMarcello Di Cintio traveled to West Africa in 1997. He taught biology in a Ghanaian village for three months, then traveled through western and northern Africa for nine months more. Di Cintio’s time in Africa resulted in his first published stories and, eventually, his first book, Harmattan: Wind Across West Africa.
In 2003 and 2004, Di Cintio traveled to Iran to discover the connection between Persian poets and traditional wrestlers. Knopf Canada published the resulting book, Poets and Pahlevans: A Journey Into the Heart of Iran, in 2006.
In February 2008, Di Cintio flew into the Algerian desert to begin nearly five years of travel and research for Walls: Travels Along the Barricades chronicles Di Cintio's journeys along some of the world's most disputed and unfriendly edges. The book tries to answer the question: What does it mean to live in the shadow of a wall?
Di Cintio's 4th book, Pay No Heed to the Rockets: Palestine in the Present Tense, reveals life in contemporary Palestine as seen through the lens of the region's rich literary culture.
Driven: The Secret Lives of Taxi Drivers will appear in May 2021. This book will reveal the fascinating backstories of the men and women who drive us around.
In 2003 and 2004, Di Cintio traveled to Iran to discover the connection between Persian poets and traditional wrestlers. Knopf Canada published the resulting book, Poets and Pahlevans: A Journey Into the Heart of Iran, in 2006.
In February 2008, Di Cintio flew into the Algerian desert to begin nearly five years of travel and research for Walls: Travels Along the Barricades chronicles Di Cintio's journeys along some of the world's most disputed and unfriendly edges. The book tries to answer the question: What does it mean to live in the shadow of a wall?
Di Cintio's 4th book, Pay No Heed to the Rockets: Palestine in the Present Tense, reveals life in contemporary Palestine as seen through the lens of the region's rich literary culture.
Driven: The Secret Lives of Taxi Drivers will appear in May 2021. This book will reveal the fascinating backstories of the men and women who drive us around.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
December 7, 2014
This is a book that has stayed on my mind much longer than it took to read it. 47 pages, or so, of thoughtful essays on what literature means to a people who are living extraordinary circumstances. I especially liked reading what the author’s students wrote and would have welcomed much more of that. In the other chapters, there are images so clear that they will be easily remembered. For the whole book, I would say that I liked the experience of reading it (3 stars) but give the 4th star for making me see things differently without editorializing. I feel far more enriched that I expected.
I welcome this format for the price, length and accessibility, which together had me decide that yes, I would read this right away (so many books, so little time).
I welcome this format for the price, length and accessibility, which together had me decide that yes, I would read this right away (so many books, so little time).
February 1, 2022
A short insight into the Palestinian question through the eyes of a teacher. If you do not know much about Palestine, this book is a good - and very short - intimate insight.
February 22, 2024
I picked this up for a very short read on a rainy afternoon, a little over 100 days after October 7, 2023, looking for a new window into the conflict. The book approaches everyday life in Palestine from a different angle, that of a Canadian author leading a 3-week creative non-fiction writing workshop for nine women in a village of the West Bank in 2012.
Di Cintio wrote elsewhere about the struggles of life under the occupation, and acknowledges that the memory of the Nakba and the pain of the unresolved conflict permeates everything in Palestinians' lives. But in the workshop, and this book that documents it, he wanted to move the focus to other aspects of everyday life and in particular to the relationship between Palestinians and their literary culture, their attachment to books.
His writing assignments were invitations to share realities of everyday life, not specifically encouraging the students to write about the occupation and... they didn't, which surprised him. They wrote about their families and relationships and everyday life. "They were, in the shadow of conflict, writing themselves a normal life free from the bounds of heroism and victimhood."
In his storytelling and commentary, I wish Di Cintio had delved deeper into the gendered aspects of everyday life in Palestine. Is it a coincidence that the women in his workshop didn't write directly about history and the occupation while the topic was omnipresent in his conversation with (mostly male) authors, librarians, book collectors, and booksellers? Also, I would have appreciated reading more from the students' work, but I can imagine why it wasn't necessarily possible.
An hour well spent. I recommend the book.
Di Cintio wrote elsewhere about the struggles of life under the occupation, and acknowledges that the memory of the Nakba and the pain of the unresolved conflict permeates everything in Palestinians' lives. But in the workshop, and this book that documents it, he wanted to move the focus to other aspects of everyday life and in particular to the relationship between Palestinians and their literary culture, their attachment to books.
His writing assignments were invitations to share realities of everyday life, not specifically encouraging the students to write about the occupation and... they didn't, which surprised him. They wrote about their families and relationships and everyday life. "They were, in the shadow of conflict, writing themselves a normal life free from the bounds of heroism and victimhood."
In his storytelling and commentary, I wish Di Cintio had delved deeper into the gendered aspects of everyday life in Palestine. Is it a coincidence that the women in his workshop didn't write directly about history and the occupation while the topic was omnipresent in his conversation with (mostly male) authors, librarians, book collectors, and booksellers? Also, I would have appreciated reading more from the students' work, but I can imagine why it wasn't necessarily possible.
An hour well spent. I recommend the book.
October 30, 2014
A short, powerful e-book about how words have been used as part of the resistance in Palestine, using the author's creative writing class as the framework.
February 25, 2024
This book is a short snapshot into Palestinian life and resistance written from the perspective of a Canadian outsider. It has the potential to be accessible and relatable to others who are curious about Palestine but who do not already possess a lot of background knowledge.
I thought that Chapter 7 was especially interesting- it makes the reader think not only about right to return for people, but also of repatriation of their beloved historical books. This also challenges the narrative and misconception of Palestinians being uneducated or uncultured (which can then otherwise be used for justification for why political self- determination should not be granted).
I liked the unifying theme of all of these short chapters. They all explored the power of words. The power of books. Even the power of the humanity gleaned through storytelling. 3.5/5
I thought that Chapter 7 was especially interesting- it makes the reader think not only about right to return for people, but also of repatriation of their beloved historical books. This also challenges the narrative and misconception of Palestinians being uneducated or uncultured (which can then otherwise be used for justification for why political self- determination should not be granted).
I liked the unifying theme of all of these short chapters. They all explored the power of words. The power of books. Even the power of the humanity gleaned through storytelling. 3.5/5
July 5, 2021
Found on Libby, one of the few books available on Palestine. Super short but covers a bit of the history and lives of people who lived through the Antifadas and I learned a fair bit! Was engaging in its exploration of the cultural zeitgeist (e.g. the power of education)
February 1, 2024
3.5 Stars
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews