An Examination of the Components of Prison Literature in Yahya Al-Sinwar’s The Thorn and the Carnation

Prison literature is a literary genre recognized by specific features and components linked to imprisonment, encompassing works either written during incarceration or addressing the prison environment, and the condition of prisoners. Throughout history, many writers have been imprisoned for various political or ideological reasons, reflecting the bitterness of prison in their artistic works and conveying it to the reader. In contemporary Arabic literature, particularly within Palestinian society—which is continually subjected to the aggressions of the Zionist occupation—the issue of political prisons and the suffering that prisoners endure from oppression and injustice is strikingly prominent. Yahya Al-Sinwar is a Palestinian writer who spent many long years in Israeli occupation prisons, witnessing the painful events of prison life firsthand. The author depicts the harsh reality of Israeli prisons and the turbulent political and social conditions of Palestinian society. This research, employing a descriptive-analytical method, analyzes the components of prison literature in Al-Sinwar’s The Thorn and the Carnation (Al-Shawk wa al-Qaranful). The findings indicate that the condition of political prisoners, their places of detention, their food, their sanitary and psychological conditions, their exposure to torture and interrogation methods, as well as the extent of oppression and injustice prevailing in the prisons, are all presented in a tragic and sorrowful description. The components of prison literature in Al-Sinwar’s novel present a clear and realistic image of the condition of Palestinian political prisoners in Israeli prisons. With critical anger, he emphasizes that the continuation of violence against prisoners not only leads to the deterioration of their physical condition but also leaves deep psychological scars, exposing them increasingly to depression and anxiety. He also demonstrates how this violence reflects the system of repression and control exercised by the occupying entity within the prisons—a system that strips prisoners of their freedom and privacy and intensifies their psychological suffering. Through his critical tone, the author seeks to expose the inhumane practices and crimes committed against Palestinian prisoners to the world. Finally, it is emphasized that torture is an ineffective tool, and the prisoner’s resistance is a testament to the strength of their mental will—a will that can never be broken.