The great Palestinian poet and writer, Mureed Barghouti, passed away today, Sunday, at the age of 77.
On his verified Facebook page, poet Tamim Barghouti mourned his father Mureed by posting a black image with his name, indicating his death and mourning him.
Following the news of his death, activists on Twitter launched a hashtag in the name of the late poet to express their condolences and deep sorrow over Mureed Barghouti's passing, quoting excerpts from his works. Close relatives from the Barghouti family confirmed to local media his death, without providing further details. No statement has been issued by the Barghouti family regarding the cause of death or funeral arrangements.
Mureed Barghouti was born on July 8, 1944, in the village of Deir Ghassana, north of Ramallah, in the occupied West Bank. He received his education at Ramallah Secondary School and traveled to Egypt in 1963, where he enrolled at Cairo University, graduating from the English Language and Literature Department in 1967. However, Mureed Barghouti was not able to return to his city of Ramallah until thirty years later, after moving between various Arab and European exile locations.
Mureed has published 12 poetry collections, with one of his most notable novels being "I Saw Ramallah," which reflects the experience of being unable to return to his city for thirty years. The late poet was the husband of the prominent Egyptian novelist Radwa Ashour, who passed away at the end of 2014. He was also the father of poet Tamim Barghouti, known for the famous poem "In Jerusalem."
