Zakaria Mohammed

Palestinian poet Zakaria Mohammed was born in the occupied village of al-Zawiya near Nablus. A journalist, editor, novelist, playwright, and poet, he was the author of nine volumes of poetry, including Kushtban (Dar Al-Nasher Press, 2014). In 1994, after twenty-five years in exile, he returned to his homeland and lived in Ramallah. His work contributed to modernist Arabic poetry and the preservation of Palestinian cultural heritage.

After completing his study of Arabic literature at the University of Baghdad in 1975, he worked as a freelance journalist in Beirut, Amman, and Damascus. He also served as the deputy editor in chief of the cultural journal Al-Karmel, edited by Mahmoud Darwish. His Arabic novels include Al-Ayan Al-Mua’tima (approximately translated “The Dark Eye”) and Assa Al-Raee (approximately translated “The Shepherd's Staff”). In 2020, Mohammed was awarded the Mahmoud Darwish Prize for Culture and Creativity.