Ghassan Kanafani, Palestine, 1936-1972

The Horseman, by Ghassan Kanafani
Accompanied by a 17-year-old niece, Palestinian Guerrilla Leader Ghassan Kanafani, 36, walked out of his apartment in a Beirut suburb, sat down at the wheel of his Austin 1100 and turned on the ignition. The car disintegrated in a horrendous explosion that killed the occupants and shook the neighborhood. Ten pounds of plastique had been stuffed under the right front fender; a hand grenade that served as detonator was wired to the ignition. Acre-born Novelist Kanafani (Men in the Sun, That Which Remains for You), an exile from his homeland since 1948, was an ideologist and spokesman for the Marxist Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. (Time, 24 July 1972)

It was reported at the time 'that a piece of paper had been found at the site bearing the Israeli emblem of a candlestick and the sentence in English: "With the compliments of the Israeli Embassy in Copenhagen."(The Times, 10 July 1972, p. 5)


Three collections of Kanafani's literary works are available in English:

Men in the Sun and Other Palestinian Stories

Palestine's Children: Returning to Haifa and Other Short Stories

All That's Left to You: A Novella and Other Short Stories

Kanafani's work The 1936-39 Revolt in Palestine, along with more about the author, is available online.