Rooted Characters in Uprooted Narrations

Trees in Contemporary Palestinian Writings

Abstract

The topic of trees is usually overlooked in narrative in spite of their being a ubiquitous element of any landscape. When it comes to Palestinian trees, though, a further consideration is due. In recent times, trees have actually become a common topic in any political discourse regarding both Palestinians and Israelis. Hence, their presence in Palestinian writings is usually interpreted as applying to one of the two political positions involved. By tracing and analysing the representation of trees in Palestinian literature, this paper will demonstrate how intrinsically important trees are, not only in the everyday lives of Palestinian people, but also within Palestinian culture, to the point that the respect for trees is passed down to the new diasporic generations of Palestinians scattered around the world. What is about to be discussed aims at showing the strong connection that all Palestinians have with the places and culture of their origins, this feeling of belonging emerging especially from writing dedicated to trees. By doing so this paper intends to offer a reading of Palestinian literature that looks beyond political and historical claims.