Athens – Saba:
Secretary-General of the General Union of Palestinian Writers and Authors poet Murad al-Sudani on Saturday signed his collection "Murad's Stone," in Arabic and Greek, published by Ernini Publishing House in Greece, at the 21st Thessaloniki International Book Fair.
The 167-page, large-format book was translated by Greek poet and translator Christos Koukis and Palestinian translator Haitham al-Zeer.
According to the official Palestinian News Agency, the signing was preceded by a massive demonstration to prevent a symposium by the Israeli embassy at the fair. The demonstration was organized by the Greek Publishers Association, activists, labor and student unions, fair visitors, and the Palestinian community in Greece.
Participating in the signing symposium were translator Koukis, Ernini Publishing House owner Konsantinos Katsikis, and novelist and critic Dimitra Meta, President of the Thessaloniki Writers' Union.
Translator Kokis says in the introduction to the collection, written by him and translator al-Zeer: "Murad's stone—and ultimately, our stone as well—is not just a physical object. It is a symbol. It is a heart, a resistance, and a vision. The stone becomes a voice for the oppressed, a tool for the fighter, and an embrace for the bereaved. Through images astonishing in their beauty and pain, the poet's experience of a wounded but not defeated homeland is revealed."
Meta highlighted al-Sudani's unique poetic voice, emphasizing that his work calls for "a different perspective."
The Sudanese poet commented: "We are here to confront the narrative of the occupation's opposite and the falsity of its claims, and the cancellation of his symposium is evidence of a cultural referendum for Palestine and the justice of its cause."
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