Literary Career
Shammas was one of the founders of the Arabic magazine "The East" (Arabic: الشرق), which he edited from 1971 to 1976. His first poem was published in the literary supplement of Haaretz newspaper. In 1974, Shammas published his first anthology of poetry in Arabic, "Imprisoned in my Own Awakening and Sleep" (Arabic: اسير يقظتي ومنامي ), as well as an anthology of Hebrew poems, "Hardcover" (Hebrew: כריכה קשה).
In 1975, Shammas began to work for Israel Television, producing Arabic language programs. He also wrote for the Hebrew newspapers. Some of his articles explored the problem of Arab identity in a Jewish state. In 1979, he published his anthology "No Man's Land" (Hebrew: שטח הפקר).
Shammas is known mainly for his writing in Hebrew and Hebrew translations of Arab literature, such as the work of Emile Habibi. His acclaimed Hebrew novel Arabesques (1986) was translated into several languages, including English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, although it has never appeared in Arabic. Shammas has also translated Arabic poetry into English.
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