Ghassan Kanafani - Early Years

Early Years

Ghassan Fayiz Kanafani was born in 1936 in the then Acre (Akka), British Mandate of Palestine. His father was a lawyer, and sent Ghassan to French missionary school in Jaffa.

During the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, Kanafani and his family were forced into exile, a part of the Palestinian exodus. Their home city became part of Israel.

The family initially fled north to neighbouring Lebanon, less than 11 miles north, but soon moved on to Damascus, Syria, to live there as Palestinian refugees. Kanafani completed his secondary education in Damascus, receiving a United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) teaching certificate in 1952.

Kanafani was a part of the mass movement of Palestinians and knew first hand the terror the people faced. He and his family lived in exile in most Arab countries where they never had official approval. The Palestinians were forced to carry passbooks with their identification information. With out the books they could not travel outside of their villages and towns. Kanafani’s families lack of official papers forced them to remain hidden for months at a time. Kanafani grew up in a world where he never felt accepted, and always feared for his life. He grew up constantly questioning his identity and longing to be a part of something. When he was older he became an active member in several organizations. He used his anger that had bottled inside of him when he felt alone to further his dedication in the Palestinian cause.