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Basem Khandakji

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Basem Khandakji
باسم خندقجي
Born1983
Palestine
EducationJournalism
Alma materAn-Najah National University
Occupation(s)writer and novelist

Basem Khandakji (Arabic: باسم خندقجي, romanized: Bāsim khndqjy; born 1983) is a Palestinian writer, journalist, and prisoner, was born in 1983. His novel A Mask, the Color of the Sky won the Arabic Booker Prize in 2024.[1]

He has studied at An-Najah National University and Al-Quds University. He was arrested by the Israeli defence forces on November 2, 2004, and was sentenced to life imprisonment. He has published several novels, poems, and studies from prison.

Personal life

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Basem Muhammad Salih Adeeb Khandakji was born on December 22, 1983. He studied in Nablus Governorate Schools. Later, he joined An-Najah National University to study in the Department of Journalism and Media. He witnessed the First Intifada which affected his political orientations; therefore, he joined the ranks of the former Communist Palestinian People's Party when he was 15 years old.

Khandakji was arrested on November 2, 2004, by Israeli forces, on accusations of involvement in the Carmel Market bombing, in which three Israeli civilians were killed and more than 50 were wounded. Khandakji was sentenced on June 7, 2005, to three life sentences. In addition to this, the Israeli authorities demanded that he compensate the families of those who were killed in the operation with an amount of $11.6 million. He is currently in the "Hydrim" prison.[2]

In prison, he enrolled in Al-Quds University, studying political science and writing a thesis on Israeli studies.[1]

Career

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Khandakji began writing short stories before his imprisonment.[1]

He continued his journey of writing inside the prison and he published several books, novels, and poetry collections. His first book was Drafts of the Homeland Lover, ten articles about Palestinian concerns. He also published Thus Humanity Is Dying, also about Palestinian concerns. Khandakji also published a poetry collection, (A know on the Walls of the Place). His novel The Eclipse Badreddine was published in December 2018 and is a historical novel that talks about the Sufi hero Badreddine, a scholar and a pillar of Sufism in his time.[3][4][5] [6]

Works

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  • Rituals of the First Time (Tuqus Al Mara Al Ula), poetry, 2010
  • The Breath of a Nocturnal Poem (Anfas Qasia Lailya), poetry, 2013
  • The Narcissus of Isolation, poetry, 2017
  • The Eclipse of Badr al-Din (Khosuf Badreddine), novel, 2019
  • The Breath of a Woman Let Down, novel, 2020
  • A Mask, the Color of the Sky, novel, 2024 (winner of International Prize for Arabic Fiction)[7]

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Basim Khandaqji | International Prize for Arabic Fiction".
  2. ^ "الاسير الصحافي باسم خندقجي". Abjjab. Archived from the original on December 29, 2020. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
  3. ^ "باسم خندقجي ... الأسير الشاعر". Al Resalah. April 23, 2019. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
  4. ^ عبادي, حسن (November 12, 2020). "أدب الحركة الأسيرة، باسم خندقجي نموذجًا". Diwan Al Arab. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
  5. ^ "ArabLit's List: Best Reads of 2019". Arab Lit. December 19, 2019. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
  6. ^ "Palestinian writer jailed in Israel wins top Arabic book prize". CNN. April 30, 2024.
  7. ^ A Mask, the Colour of the Sky
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