Exhibition on the Life and Works of WB Yeats Opens in Birzeit University

The Representative Office of Ireland in Palestine opened an exhibition dedicated to the life and works of WB Yeats in Birzeit University. The exhibition has already toured the world and was curated using material from an award-winning Yeats exhibition developed by the National Library of Ireland. This is the first time the exhibition, which was presented in English and Arabic, has been put on display in Palestine.

The opening of the exhibition was marked by an event held in conjunction with birzeit University's Department of English Language and Literature. Representative Jonathan Conlon made a speech at the vent, reflecting on the life and works of WB Yeats and some of the common themes which run through both the works of WB Yeats and many Palestinian artists.

Two students from the English Language and Literature Department made thought-provoking presentations to the audience on aspects of WB Yeats' life and poetry. Th event concluded with the reading of both originals and Arabic translations of some of the best-known of Yeats' poems. The Representative Office was pleased to donate a collection of Yeats' poetry to the Birzeit University library.

The Department of English Language and Literature also ran a series of side events around the exhibition, including a screening of two films produced by the Department of Foreign Affairs and trade on the life of Yeats, Yeats Country, and WB Yeats, a Tribute and a hosting of a roundtable discussion to complement the exhibition, focusing on the theme of aesthetics and politics in poetry.

The exhibition will travel from Birzeit University to other institutions in the West Bank and Gaza in the New Year.