Yahya Hassan

Yahya Hassan (19 May 1995 – 29 April 2020) was a Danish poet and political activist of Palestinian descent, whose poems and public statements criticizing both Islam and Danish policies on migration and participation in armed conflicts made him a much-debated and controversial figure.[2][3][4][5]

Yahya Hassan
Yahya Hassan in October 2015
Born(1995-05-19)19 May 1995
Aarhus, Denmark
Died29 April 2020(2020-04-29) (aged 24)
Aarhus, Denmark
Occupation
  • Poet
  • political activist
Period2011–2020
GenrePoetry
Notable worksYahya Hassan[1]

His most notable work, Yahya Hassan, as of 2013 was the best-selling debut poetry collection in Denmark, and has been printed in more than 120,000 copies (middle of 2015).[6]

Early life

Yahya Hassan was born to a family of Muslim Palestinian immigrants, who had fled to Lebanon due to the Israeli–Palestinian conflict, and who moved to Denmark in the 1980s.[7] He was born in Aarhus V, a problematic immigrant district of the city of Aarhus, the second largest city in Denmark and the country's main port. He had four siblings, and his father frequently physically abused him. Hassan grew up in a religious environment, but soon abandoned religion. He was institutionalized for juvenile delinquency in Solhaven in Farsø, where educators first supported his literary talent. At 16, Hassan had an affair with 38-year-old educator Louise Østergaard, which led to Østergaard's dismissal and divorce.[3][8][9] Hassan attended a "Rap Academy" and various workshops for creative writing. [10]

Publications and reception

He published a first volume with Brønderslev Forfatterskole Et godt sted at dø ("a good place to die") in 2011, but became widely known in Denmark with his first volume published with the reputable Gyldendal publishing house, in 2013.

Literary scholar Tue Andersen Nexø described Hassan's longer works as "almost Walt Whitman-like."[3] The volume was a best-seller and received favourable criticism, and his readings (done in an idiosyncratic style) were well-attended.[11]

The poems are concerned with his upbringing in the "ghetto" of Aarhus V, with attacks on his parents' generation and on Islam. This has resulted in criticism and death threats on the part of Danish Muslims, and Hassan was placed under police protection.[12] Odense city library cancelled a planned reading due to the threat of attacks.[13] The cancellation led to a parliamentary debate in the Folketing, on Islamist threats impinging on the freedom of speech in Denmark.[14]

Also in November 2013, Hassan was assaulted and injured by another Danish citizen of Palestinian descent, one Isaac Meyer, born Abdul Basit Abu-Lifa, who had a previous conviction for terrorism. Meyer had received a seven-year sentence in the 2005 Glostrup Terrorists Case, but had been released on parole in 2010. The attacker was convicted for assault.[15]

The poetry collection Yahya Hassan 2 was published on 8 November 2019, again to general critical acclaim.[16]

Politics

On 7 April 2015, Hassan announced that he had joined the newly formed Danish political party, Nationalpartiet.[17] On 9 February 2016, the party's leader, Kashif Ahmad, announced that Hassan was forced to leave the party,[18] after being arrested for driving under the influence of illegal drugs.[19]

Death

Hassan was found dead in his apartment in Aarhus on 29 April 2020.[20] The police do not believe the death to be a criminal act.[21]

Bibliography
  • Et godt sted at dø ("a good place to die"), Brønderslev Forfatterskole, 2011, ISBN 978-87-993537-3-6
  • Yahya Hassan : Digte, Gyldendal, 2013, ISBN 978-87-02-15352-1
  • Yahya Hassan 2, Gyldendal, 2019, ISBN 9788702265866

References
  1. "Danish Teen Poet and Muslim Critic Yahya Hassan Assaulted by Convicted Terrorist". International Business Times. Retrieved 5 January 2014.
  2. "Danish rap poet Yahya Hassan faces racism charge for knocking Muslims". The Guardian. Retrieved 14 December 2013.
  3. "Poet Sparks New Debate on Islam in Denmark". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 14 December 2013.
  4. "Poet Sparks New Debate on Islam in Denmark". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 14 December 2013.
  5. "VI HAR TABT HAM, MEN I DET MINDSTE HAR VI HAFT HAM". Weekendavisen. Retrieved 2 May 2020.
  6. Anders Hjort (16 December 2013). "Rekord: Yahya Hassan runder de 100.000". Politiken (in Danish).
  7. "Yahya Hassan i Deadline 2. Sektion". DR2. Retrieved 26 November 2014.
  8. "Danish rap poet Yahya Hassan faces racism charge for knocking Muslims". The Guardian. Retrieved 14 December 2013.
  9. Østergaard published a novel Ord ("Words") discussing the affair. Sandra Brovall (19 January 2014). "Yahya Hassans kontaktperson udgiver bog med slet skjulte hentydninger" (in Danish). Politiken. Retrieved 1 May 2014.
  10. Forfatterskolen - Oversigt over elever (forfatterskolen.dk) 23 October 2013 Opgang2 und Søren Marcussen (8 February 2013). "Himlen Over Os - Yahya Hassan". Opgang2. Retrieved 1 May 2014.
  11. Mikkel Andersson (28 November 2013). "Yahya er blevet til alles lille Hassan". Politiken (in Danish).
  12. PET involveret i digters sikkerhed Danmarks Radio | 22 October 2013. "Yahya Hassan: De råber, jeg skal dø". TV 2 Nyhederne. 19 November 2013. Retrieved 1 May 2014.
  13. Anders Borup Sørensen (21 November 2013). "Vollsmose Bibliotek aflyser Yahya Hassan-foredrag" (in Danish). TV 2. Retrieved 1 May 2014.
  14. Paragraf-20 spørgsmål:
  15. Astrid Søndberg (19 November 2013). "Yahya Hassan after assault: They do not care about poetry". TV2 Denmark (in Danish).; Gianluca Mezzofiore, Danish Teen Poet and Muslim Critic Yahya Hassan Assaulted by Convicted Terrorist, International Business Times, 20 November 2013. The attacker received a five-months sentence for assault. The defense argued that the attack was triggered by provocative "contemptuous staring" on the part of Hassan i the sense of a "completely spontaneous incident" (fuldstændig spontan hændelse), but the judge considered it likely that the attacker recognized Hassan and the attack was motivated by his perception of the poet as an "infidel" (vantro). Mand idømmes fem måneders fængsel for overfaldet på Yahya Hassan, Politiken, 9 December 2013.
  16. Jakob Lyders Tarpgaard (8 November 2019). "'Smashing good' and 'back in town': Reviewers love Yahya Hassan's new poems". DR Denmark (in Danish).
  17. Rasmus Dam Nielsen (8 April 2015). "Et døgn med Yahya Hassan: Nationalpartiet mærker kendiseffekten". Politiken (in Danish).
  18. Nikoline, Vestergaard. "Yahya Hassan: Fra digter-debutant til politisk udstødt". Danmarks Radio. Danmarks Radio. Retrieved 10 February 2016.
  19. Ritzau, Ritzau. "Avis: Yahya Hassan anholdt for narkokørsel". Berlingske Tidne. Berlingske. Retrieved 10 February 2016.
  20. Nielsen, Trina; Johansen, Christian Winther; Mejborn, Katja (30 April 2020). "Yahya Hassan er død". B.T.
  21. "Danish poet Yahya Hassan dead at 24". france24.com. 30 April 2020. Archived from the original on 30 April 2020.
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