Born in 1953 in al-Maghar, an Arab town in the Galilee, Salman Masalha has lived in Jerusalem since 1972 and holds a PhD in in classical Arabic literature from the Hebrew University. He writes in both Arabic and Hebrew and translates into both languages. The author of eight volumes of poetry, his articles, columns, poems, and translations have appeared in newspapers, journals, and anthologies in both languages as well as in various others. Some of his poems have been performed to music and recorded by Israeli, Palestinian, European, and American musicians.