Fadwa Tuqan

Fadwa Tuqan was born in Nablus into the prominent Tuqan patrician family. Denied formal schooling by patriarchal family traditions, she was tutored at home in classical Arabic poetry by her beloved brother, the poet Ibrahim Tuqan, developing into one of the most powerful lyric voices of the modern Arab world.

Tuqan's early verse was celebrated for its tender, introspective romanticism; after the 1967 Israeli occupation of the West Bank, her poetry transformed into fiery, defiant resistance verse that earned her the title 'Poet of Palestine'. Her landmark two-volume autobiography, A Mountainous Journey and The More Difficult Journey, remains a classic of Arab feminist literature.