If I Must Die
Poetry and Prose
Will be published approx. on 5. December 2024
Book
Hardback
288 pages
978-1-68219-621-2 (ISBN)
Description
"If I must die, let it bring hope, let it be a tale."
This rich, elegiac compilation of work from the late Palestinian poet and professor, Refaat Alareer, brings together his marvelous poetry and deeply human writing about literature, teaching, politics, and family.
The renowned poet and literature professor Refaat Alareer was killed by an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City alongside his brother, sister, and nephews in December 2023. He was just forty-four years old, but had already established a worldwide reputation that was further enhanced when, in the wake of his death, the poem that gives this book its title became a global sensation. "If I Must Die" is included here, alongside Refaat's other poetry.
Refaat wrote extensively about a range of topics: teaching Shakespeare and the way Shylock could be appreciated by young Palestinian students; the horrors of living under repeated brutal assaults in Gaza, one of which, in 2014, killed another of his brothers; and the generosity of Palestinians to each other, fighting, in the face of it all, to be the one paying at the supermarket checkout.
Such pieces, some never before published, have been curated here by one of Refaat's closest friends and collaborators. This collection forms a fitting testament to a remarkable writer, educator, and activist, one whose voice will not be silenced by death but will continue to assert the power of learning and humanism in the face of barbarity.
This rich, elegiac compilation of work from the late Palestinian poet and professor, Refaat Alareer, brings together his marvelous poetry and deeply human writing about literature, teaching, politics, and family.
The renowned poet and literature professor Refaat Alareer was killed by an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City alongside his brother, sister, and nephews in December 2023. He was just forty-four years old, but had already established a worldwide reputation that was further enhanced when, in the wake of his death, the poem that gives this book its title became a global sensation. "If I Must Die" is included here, alongside Refaat's other poetry.
Refaat wrote extensively about a range of topics: teaching Shakespeare and the way Shylock could be appreciated by young Palestinian students; the horrors of living under repeated brutal assaults in Gaza, one of which, in 2014, killed another of his brothers; and the generosity of Palestinians to each other, fighting, in the face of it all, to be the one paying at the supermarket checkout.
Such pieces, some never before published, have been curated here by one of Refaat's closest friends and collaborators. This collection forms a fitting testament to a remarkable writer, educator, and activist, one whose voice will not be silenced by death but will continue to assert the power of learning and humanism in the face of barbarity.
Reviews / Votes
#1 on CounterPunch's Top 15 Books of 2024 | A USA Today Bestseller | Listed Among the Top 10 Books of 2024 by The New Arab"Refaat left us, but his word must not."
-Mosab Abu Toha
"A deeply personal window on Israeli violence in Gaza, this shouldn't be missed."
-Starred review in Publishers Weekly
"Compelling . . . a glimpse into a restless political and literary mind, one that was still rising to the height of its powers."
-The Guardian
"Crafted with such meticulous detail . . . Refaat's dispatches offer the poet's most intimate and vulnerable thoughts."
-Drop Site News
"One of the most important literary voices of Palestine . . . Refaat has changed the lives of countless people, in Gaza and far beyond."
-Current Affairs
"Transforms trauma, death and despair into words and into poetry, occasionally rising to true greatness."
-Jewish Voice for Labour
"Fragments of a visionary's blueprint for liberation."
-Middle East Eye
"The 'Voice of Gaza' lives on."
-New Arab
"Remarkable . . . a tragic document of genocide, and a beacon of hope for a Palestinian future."
-The Morning Star
"Alareer's personality and character, his erudition, humor and compassion . . . flood this book."
-Jenny Lewis, Oxford University
"Utterly inspiring."
-Buzz Mag
"A seminal text, now and for future generations, in the struggle for truth and justice for the Palestinian people."
-Real Democracy Movement
"[Refaat's] powerful writing humanises the Palestinian victims. He tells their back-stories and describes the lasting impact of Israeli killings on family members left behind."
-Labour Hub
"If I Must Die is more than just a book; it is a witness, an act of resistance, and a voice that will not be silenced."
-Mondoweiss
"The anthology is . . . an indispensable living document of a people's fight against annihilation and a thesis statement on what makes us human."
-Full Stop Magazine
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
New York
United States
Product notice
Paper over boards
Illustrations
Illustrations
Dimensions
Height: 196 mm
Width: 132 mm
Thickness: 23 mm
Weight
410 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-68219-621-2 (9781682196212)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Persons
Refaat Alareer gained his PhD with a dissertation on the poetry of John Donne. He taught English Literature at the Islamic University of Gaza, now destroyed. He is the editor of two collections of writing by his students, Gaza Writes Back and Gaza Unsilenced (both published by Just World Books). His journalism featured in The New York Times, and he appeared on the BBC, ABC News, and Democracy Now. He was a volunteer at the Gaza Zoo.