Literatureסלמאן מצאלחה

Salman Masalha

Salman Masalha is an Israeli Druze poet, essayist and translator who writes in Arabic and Hebrew.

born 1953Poetry in Arabic and HebrewThe Hebrew poetry book In PlaceTranslating between Arabic and HebrewOpinion columns in Haaretz

Born: 4 November 1953, Maghar
Occupation: linguist, poet, literary critic, translator
Education: International Writing Program, Hebrew University of Jerusalem

Salman Masalha was born in 1953 in Maghar

Masalha was born on November 4, 1953, to a Druze family in Maghar, a village in the Galilee. After high school he moved to Jerusalem in 1972, where he has lived since.

He studied at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and earned a Ph.D. in Arabic literature in 1998. His thesis dealt with mythological aspects of ancient Arabic poetry and was supervised by Albert Arazi.

He taught Arabic language and literature at the Hebrew University and co-edited the Concordance of Early Arabic Poetry. He has published several books of poetry in Arabic and 1 in Hebrew, In Place, which came out in 2004. Musicians such as Micha Shitrit and Yair Dalal have set his poems to music.

He translates between Arabic, Hebrew and English, including works by Mahmoud Darwish, Sahar Khalifah and Haim Gouri. He writes opinion columns for Haaretz. In 2022 he helped found Seshet, a press for bilingual Hebrew and Arabic children's books.

Milestones in Salman Masalha's life

1953
Born in Maghar to a Druze family.
1972
Moved to Jerusalem.
1978
Published his Hebrew translation of Sahar Khalifah's Wild Thorns.
1979
Published his first poetry book, Green Bird Song.
1989
Published his Hebrew translation of Mahmoud Darwish's Memory for Forgetfulness.
1998
Completed his Ph.D. at the Hebrew University.
2004
Published his Hebrew poetry book In Place.
2006
Won the President's Prize for Literature for In Place.
2022
Helped found the Seshet bilingual children's press.