Djehane's Biography

Djehane's Resume

My poetic journey began since my childhood: I grew up in Egypt, a few steps away from the Pyramids and the mysterious world of the Pharaohs. I’ve always attempted to verbally express all the beauty surrounding me: gardens full of fruit and flowers, blue skies, and starry nights. As I whirled around in the grass, immersed in sunshine and the perfume emanating from the flowers, I often felt unable to convey all this splendor into words.


My grandfather, who was my friend and my guide, encouraged me to recite Victor Hugo’s poems. His favorite was “Mon père, ce héros au sourire si doux”. I always complied, and it soon became a hobby as well as a source of inspiration. My readings of French Romantic poems were always accompanied by a flow of tears. As well as reliving every feeling, I experienced the nostalgia described in the works of the Great French Poets.


My fascination with the human imagination inspired me to write my masters thesis “Dreamworld a Mysterious Dimension” at Vermont College. The majestic trees in Vermont reminded me of the gardens of my childhood home and further encouraged me to continue writing poems about my surroundings.


My love for the sea was shaped by the Mediterranean Sea in Alexandria, which was the yearly destination of our summer vacation. I used to carry out long conversations with the Sea, as I was overwhelmed by its power and beauty. When I was a Ph D. candidate at the University of Pittsburgh, my dissertation revolved around the motif of the Sea in Romance Literatures.


I like to write poems about nature, feelings and emotions, about life as a whole. Our human condition is best expressed in poems, since they focus on the particular as well as the general. I was motivated to go on, while I observed my emotions taking shape into verse. I thus expressed my hopes and my fears, my triumphs and my failures, my gratitude and my resentment. I feel that it is a blessing to be gifted with a poetic vision, and I consider every poem to be a masterpiece in its own right. My friends kindly encouraged me, and I’ve never stopped writing ever since.

All Poems on this site are copyright © Djehane Hassouna. All rights reserved.