Ghassan Zaqtan, a Palestinian poet and writer, was born in Beit Jala. He is considered one of the most prominent Palestinian and Arab poetic voices of recent decades. Due to exile, he moved between several Arab capitals, including Amman, Beirut, Damascus, Tunis, and Ramallah.
He wrote poetry and novels, and published several poetry collections, including: *Ancient Reasons*, *Banners*, *The Heroism of Things*, *Luring the Mountain*, *A Biography in Charcoal*, and *Going to Listen to My Father's Wonders*. His prose works include: *Describing the Past*, *Where the Bird Disappeared*, and *An Old Cart with Curtains*. His poetry collection, *Speak, Stranger*, was published by Al-Mutawassit Publications in 2019.
Ghassan's works have been translated into several languages, including English, French, and Italian. He won the Griffin International Poetry Prize in 2013 and the Mahmoud Darwish Prize in 2016, and was shortlisted for the American "Nustad" Prize twice, in 2014 and 2016.
Zaqtan is known for his pioneering role in modernizing Palestinian poetry, and for his work that combines personal depth with political dimension without resorting to direct slogans, while paying close attention to the structure of language and imagery.
