Portraits from Palestine...

"Great writers not only impressed me in a literary sense, but they also took me to places I couldn't physically visit. I hadn't been to Cairo, yet through Naguib Mahfouz's pen, I wandered through the backstreets of the city. Thanks to Chinghiz Aitmatov, I learned about the culture of the Kyrgyz people, sat at their tables, and witnessed their experiences up close. In this reading adventure, I confronted a reality: despite the proximity of the Palestinian people and Palestine to us, I realized how little I knew about Palestinian literature. That realization led me into this journey. We embarked on a documentary project with a plan for five episodes. I started by writing the documentary scripts and gradually delved deeper into the book. After approximately 2.5-3 years of work, the book came to life."

These days, with the books "Among Olive Trees" and "Pen and Rifle" that I can't put down, author Peren Birsaygılı Mut shared in a program with my dear friend Reha Ermumcu how she began researching and reading Palestinian literature. Truly, while reading both of her books containing striking portraits from Palestine, I understood better what a significant achievement Peren Hanım has made. The emotional world and feelings of the Palestinian people had not been adequately reflected in Turkish until now. Peren Hanım's works, published by Farabi Kitap, are now poised to fill this gap—a truly important and profound undertaking.

The first book, "Among Olive Trees," focuses on five prominent figures in recent Palestinian literature: Ghassan Kanafani, Mahmoud Darwish, Samih al-Qasim, Naji al-Ali, and Fadwa Tuqan. As you flip through the pages, you first encounter the story of Ghassan Kanafani, who was assassinated in Beirut at the young age of 36, known as the "commando who never fired a shot" due to the power and influence of his pen. His life is an adventure that covers the drama experienced by Palestinians from every angle. Mahmoud Darwish, a well-known figure in our country as well, not only as a poet but also as an activist and politician, is portrayed in the book. Samih al-Qasim, known as the "Intifada poet" since 1987, lived for many years among Israeli Arab citizens classified as "1948 Arabs." His story stands out in a different way among the biographies in the book. Naji al-Ali, the most familiar name due to the "Handala" character dedicated to the Palestinian resistance, is presented not only for his artistic side but also for his roles as a resistance figure and literary figure. Finally, the fifth figure in the book, Fadwa Tuqan, born into a famous Nablus family that produced many politicians for Jordan, offers clues to the recent history of the Middle East through her life story.

The second book, "Pen and Rifle," covers the biographies of Palestinians who actively participated in the "Great Palestinian Revolt" between 1936 and 1939: Ibrahim Tuqan, the poet and literary brother of Fadwa Tuqan, Nuh Ibrahim, a close companion of Sheikh Izz ad-Din al-Qassam, who fought during the revolt, Abdurrahim Mahmoud, an inner poet from Tulkarm who wrote one of the first poems for Al-Aqsa Mosque, Halil Beydes, the orator of the famous Nebi Musa Uprising in 1920, Zuleyha ash-Shihabi, the first woman deported from Palestine, Khalil as-Sakakini, one of the most important figures in Palestinian education, and the thinker and commentator Muhammad Izzat Darwaza, whose memoir has been published in Turkish. In addition, the book includes the voice of Esmâ Tûbî, the influence of Jerusalem Radio.

While reading "Among Olive Trees" and "Pen and Rifle," you will have the chance to deeply feel Palestine from the inside with a careful and compelling style. Peren Hanım has recently written a comprehensive and multidimensional biography of Sheikh Izz ad-Din al-Qassam. I believe it will meet readers soon. I'm really looking forward to reading it as soon as possible.