Mahmoud Darwish (1941-2008) was the rare poet who could pack a stadium full of tens of thousands of fans while never being held captive by his readers’ expectations. Instead, he brought his readers along with him as he traveled to new poetic themes and forms:

Translator and professor Mehmet Hakkı Suçin, winner of the 2016 “Best Translated Book” prize from the Turkish Writers Union, has translated four collections by Darwish into Turkish, in addition to other works from a range of eras and styles, including eleventh-century belletrist Ibn Hazm, early twentieth century Lebanese poet and writer Kahlil Gibran, and acclaimed contemporary poets Adonis and Muhammad Bennis. Hakkı Suçin’s most recent translation is Darwish’s Badem Çiçekleri Gibi yahut Daha Ötesi. He answered a few questions about translating Darwish.

Mahmoud Darwish has a large body of work that he was endlessly re-inventing such that, in the end, there is more than one…