São Paulo – Brazilian publishing house Tabla has launched the collective project Gaza, land of poetry [Gaza, terra da poesia] to highlight the cultural and literary production of the Gaza region in Palestine. Profits raised from book sales will go to the Tamer Institute for Community Education, a non-governmental institution founded in 1989, based in Ramallah, that works with literature and education throughout the Palestinian territory, including Gaza.
The anthology (in the original language, ‘Ghazza, ard al-qasida’) brings together works by 17 young poets born in Gaza, including the organizer of the collection, Muhammad Taysir. The book was published in Beirut in late 2021. The Brazilian edition, which Tabla will launch in June, will be the first translation of the work, an editorial first: A contemporary Arabic book, with poems, specifically, will have Brazil and the Portuguese language as its first foreign destination.
The poets of Gaza are under 30 years old, but their poetry is enormously impactful and mature. The translation is an initiative of the Contemporary Arabic Poetry Translation Group (GTPAC), coordinated by poet and translator Michel Sleiman, professor of Arabic Language and Literature at the University of São Paulo (USP). Other translators in the group are Safa Jubran, Felipe Benjamin Francisco, Alexandre Facuri Chareti, Maria Carolina Gonçalves, and Beatriz Negreiros Gemignani.
It is possible to buy the book through the publisher’s website to support the project. There are also options for combos with other Tabla publications, with bundle discounts and free domestic shipping. The book is in the pre-order phase and will ship starting June 27.
Translated by Elúsio Brasileiro
