Saadi Youssef is a powerful writer. I have just read a book of his poems, Nostalgia, My Enemy (translated from the Arabic by Sinan Antoon and Peter Money). Born in Iraq, Youssef now lives in London. His words convey the longing and pain of a man exiled form his homeland, hungry for peace, brokenhearted over the conditions of his people. His words are the words of a man who is able to tenderly articulate an ache, words that will make you wonder what is in the mind of the next quiet man you see across from you on the subway. He also writes of the beauty in the light, the bird’s wing, the movement of water. May peace be upon us all.
I was happy to receive a copy of this book, published by Graywolf Press, through a Goodreads First Reads giveaway; what I read was an uncorrected proof. (Since I am beginning to learn Arabic, I admit to a slight disappointment when I realized that the volume did not include the Arabic text. I look forward, one day after much study, to reading his words in Arabic.)
rhymes with shakti 