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Palestinian literature refers to theArabic language novels, short stories and poems produced byPalestinians. Forming part of the broader genre ofArabic literature, contemporary Palestinian literature is often characterized by its heightened sense ofirony and the exploration of existential themes and issues of identity.[1] References to the subjects of resistance to occupation,exile, loss, and love and longing forhomeland are also common.[2] In more recent years, self-identifiedPalestinians from Israel have published works inHebrew.
Palestinian literature is one of numerous Arabic literatures, but its affiliation isnational, rather than territorial.[3] WhileEgyptian literature is that written inEgypt,Jordanian literature is that written inJordan etc., and up until the1948 Arab–Israeli war, Palestinian literature was also territory-bound, since the1948 Palestinian expulsion and flight it has become "a literature written by Palestinians"[4]: 9 irrespective of their place of residence.[3]
Palestinian literature spoke to other causes of oppression and discrimination across the world. In his book, one of the foremost leaders of Palestinian literature and the person who coined the termPalestinian Resistance Literature,Ghassan Kanafani says, "In my stories I give my characters the freedom to express their own positions without reservation".[5] This sense of international solidarity can also be found in Palestinian poets' work such as inMahmoud Darwish's poemCuban Chants, "And the banner inCuba.. The rebel raises it in theAures.. Oh a nation that feels cold",[6] and inSamih Al-Qasim's poem,Birds Without Wings.
In the period between the 1948 Palestinian expulsion and flight and the1967 Six-Day War,Palestinian Resistance Literature played a significant role in maintaining thePalestinian identity; forming a bridge between the two periods, which allowed the Palestinian identity to survive especially in the absence of armed resistance. In his book,Palestinian Resistance Literature Under Occupation,[7] Ghassan Kanafani argues, "Palestinian resistance literature, just like armed resistance, shapes a new circle in the historical series which practically has not been cut throughout the last half century in the Palestinian life".[8]
Since 1967, most critics have theorized the existence of three "branches" of Palestinian literature, loosely divided by geographic location: 1) from inside Israel, 2) from theoccupied territories, 3) from among thePalestinian diaspora throughout theMiddle East.[9]
Hannah Amit-Kochavi recognizes only two branches: that written by Palestinians from inside the State of Israel as distinct from that written outside.[3][4]: 11 She also posits a temporal distinction between literature produced before 1948 and that produced thereafter.[3] In a 2003 article published in theStudies in the Humanities journal,Steven Salaita posits a fourth branch made up ofEnglish language works, particularly those written by Palestinians in theUnited States, which he defines as "writing rooted in diasporic countries but focused in theme and content onPalestine."[9] However, Maurice Ebileeni argues that a fourth branch referring exclusively to anglophone literary works is not sufficient. Rather, Palestinian displacement both in Israel/Palestine and the diaspora have led to cultural and lingual diversification among Palestinians that exceeds experiences in Arabic- and English-speaking locations. Ebileeni suggest a polylingual branch that entails works by Palestinian authors – or authors of Palestinian descent – written in English as well as Italian, Spanish, Danish, Hebrew and several other languages.[10]
Palestinian literature can be intensely political, as underlined by writers likeSalma Khadra Jayyusi and novelistLiana Badr, who have mentioned the need to give expression to the Palestinian "collective identity" and the "just case" of their struggle.[11] There is also resistance to this school of thought, whereby Palestinian artists have "rebelled" against the demand that their art be "committed".[11] PoetMourid Barghouti for example, has often said that "poetry is not a civil servant, it's not a soldier, it's in nobody's employ."[11]Rula Jebreal's novelMiral tells the story ofHind Husseini's effort to establish anorphanage inJerusalem after the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, theDeir Yassin Massacre,[12][13] and the establishment of the state ofIsrael.
As of April 2025, platforms such asWe Are Not Numbers (WANN), mentoring young writers in Gaza, have published more than 1,500 individual stories and poems by hundreds of writers.[14]
Susan Abulhawa's bookMornings in Jenin tells the story of a Palestinian family lost their homes during the 1948 war.[15] InA Rift in Time, Palestinian writerRaja Shehadeh "explores how the stability of geography and the continuity of the land have disappeared from the life of Palestinians" through an examination of the life of his great-uncleNajib Nassar.[16]
Short stories in Palestinian literature started with writers likeSamira Azzam.[17] Censorship of written material made short stories particularly popular under occupation for the relative ease in distribution. AuthorAtef Abu Saif has said that "Gaza was known as the exporter of oranges and short stories" in the 1980s and 90s.[18]
Poetry, using classicpre-Islamic forms, remains an extremely popular art form, often attracting Palestinian audiences in the thousands. Until 20 years ago, local folkbards reciting traditional verses were a feature of every Palestinian town.[19]
After the 1948 Palestinian expulsion and flight, poetry was transformed into a vehicle for political activism. From among those Palestinians who becameArab citizens of Israel and after the passage of theCitizenship Law of 1952, a school of resistance poetry was born that included poets likeMahmoud Darwish,Samih al-Qasim, andTawfiq Zayyad.[19]
The work of these poets was largely unknown to the wider Arab world for years because of the lack of diplomatic relations between Israel and Arab governments. The situation changed afterGhassan Kanafani, another Palestinian writer in exile inLebanon published ananthology of their work in 1966.[19]
The work ofNathalie Handal an award-winning poet, playwright, and writer appeared in numerous anthologies and magazines. She has been translated into twelve languages.[20] She has promoted international literature through translation, research, and the editedThe Poetry of Arab Women, an anthology that introduced several Arab women poets to a wider audience in the west.[21][22]
Palestinian poets often write about the common theme of a strong affection and sense of loss and longing for a lost homeland.[19] In a poem about the Israeli bombing of Lebanon, published in the Palestinian literary magazineal-Karmel, Mahmoud Darwish wrote:[23]
Smoke rises from me, I reach out a hand to collect my limbs scattered from so many bodies, besieged from land and sky and sea and language. The last plane has taken off from Beirut airport and left me in front of the screen to watch
with millions of viewers
the rest of my death
As for my heart, I see it roll, like a pine cone, from Mount Lebanon, to Gaza.
During theGaza War,Batool Abu Akleen published her poems, reflecting intimate imagery that transforms the experience of genocide into personal testimony. She was namedModern Poetry in Translation’s "Poet in Residence" in 2024 and has received recognition for both her poetry and translation work.[24]
The art of story telling was for a long time part of the cultural life in Arabic speaking countries of the Middle East. The tradition of "Tales From a Thousand and One Nights" is not an exception. In each small town or village of Palestine, itinerant story tellers calledhakawati would visit and tell folk stories they knew, often inteahouses. The tales of thehakawati, once told for all ages, are now sometimes emerging from the Palestinian diaspora as children's books.[25]
Palestinian hikaye is a form of oral literature created, performed and preserved by women. Usually narrated in winter, the performers are usually older women, who tell them to younger women and children.[26][27][28] Some versions of hikaye were published in the 1989 volumeSpeak Bird, Speak Again.[29] In 2008 they were inscribed by UNESCO to their list ofintangible cultural heritage.[30]
In Israeli and Arabic literary scholarship, a distinct though relatively small body of Palestinian writers are identified as authors who produce original literary works in theHebrew language. These writers are mainlyPalestinian citizens of Israel whose choice ofHebrew reflects complex cultural, linguistic, and political dynamics, often engaging with themes of identity, belonging, and minority experience within a Hebrew-dominant literary space.[31] A foundational figure isAnton Shammas, an Israeli Arab writer whose Hebrew works in the late 1970s and 1980s, including early poetry and prose collections, are often cited as among the earliest sustained Palestinian literary expressions in Hebrew.[32] Another prominent name isSayed Kashua, whose debut novelDancing Arabs (Aravim Rokdim), originally written in Hebrew and published in 2002, explores the life of a Palestinian Israeli navigating between Palestinian identity and incorporation into Israeli society.
