Mahmoud Darwish (Arabic: مَحمُود دَرْوِيْش) was a Palestinian poet and author who was regarded as Palestine's national poet.

In 1988, Darwish wrote the Palestinian Declaration of Independence, which was the formal declaration for the creation of a State of Palestine.

Darwish won numerous awards for his works, including the Lotus Prize (1969), Lenin Peace Prize (1983), Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters (1993), Lannan Foundation Prize for Cultural Freedom (2001), Prince Claus Awards (2004), "Bosnian stećak" (2007), Golden Wreath of Struga Poetry Evenings (2007), and The International Forum for Arabic Poetry prize (2007).

In his poetic works, Darwish explored Palestine as a metaphor for the loss of Eden, birth and resurrection, and the anguish of dispossession and exile. He has been described as incarnating and reflecting "the tradition of the political poet in Islam, the man of action whose action is poetry."

He also served as an editor for several literary magazines in Israel and the Palestinian territories. Darwish wrote in Arabic, and also spoke English, French, and Hebrew.