Ghassan Zaqtan

Ghassan Zaqtan: Zaqtan, who writes primarily in Arabic, was shortlisted for the $65,000 Griffin Poetry Prize in April for his 10th collection Like a Straw Bird It Follows Me, and Other Poems . He is one of four poets competing for the international prize. Three Canadian poets are vying for the Canadian half of the annual honour, according to CBC. In a post on his Facebook page, Joudah said Zaqtan was told by immigration officials that the prize was insufficient grounds for a visa and also that there was uncertainty about his financial independence and desire to return home after the ceremony and Canadian immigration officials have reversed an earlier decision and will now permit Palestinian poet Ghassan Zaqtan to attend the Griffin Poetry Prize ceremony in Toronto, after a social media campaign conducted by fellow writers. Zaqtan lives in Ramallah in the Palestinian Territories and the Canadian embassy in Cairo initially denied him a visa to travel to Canada to attend the upcoming ceremony, according to his U.S.-based translator Fady Joudah. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.