Mahmoud Darwish | Palestinian poet, 67

Mahmoud Darwish, 67, whose prose gave voice to the Palestinian experience of exile, occupation and infighting, died yesterday at a Houston hospital following open-heart surgery, Nabil Abu Rdeneh, a spokesman for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

The work of Mr. Darwish, the predominant Palestinian poet, has been translated into more than 20 languages and won numerous international awards.

Born to a large Muslim family in historical Palestine - now modern-day Israel - he emerged as a Palestinian cultural icon eloquently describing his people's struggle for independence while also criticizing both the Israeli occupation and the Palestinian leadership. He gave voice to the Palestinian dreams of statehood, crafted their declaration of independence, and helped forge a Palestinian national identity.

"He was a mirror of the Palestinian society," said Ali Qleibo, a Palestinian anthropologist and lecturer in cultural studies at Al Quds University in Jerusalem.

Mr. Darwish first gained prominence in the 1960s with the publication of his first poetry collection,

Bird Without Wings.

It included the poem "Identity Card" that defiantly spoke in the first person of an Arab man giving his identity number - a common practice among Palestinians when dealing with Israeli authorities and Arab governments - and vowing to return to his land.

He wrote 21 more collections, the last,

The Impression of Butterflies,

in 2008.

- AP