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20th Century Arabic Poetry for a Modern Audience


Arabic student
Pascal reciting Mahmoud Darwish's famous Arabic poetry

In the year 2019, it's rare to find a poetry recitation - especially with poetry by 20th century Palestinian poets! But Qalam student Pascal Bernhard, an Intermediate 2 student from Switzerland, took a special interest in Mahmoud Darwish upon arriving Morocco to study the Arabic language, and a month later, presented an excerpt from لاعب النرد ("The Dice Player") to a room full of mesmerized Arabic learners.


Pascal's voice quieted the room during his presentation, in which he had memorized an excerpt of Darwish's famous poem. Darwish's poetry contains touching and political pieces about Darwish and his personal experiences, as well as the overall communal experiences of Pal