Description
Book SynopsisSpanning more than six decades of Sudan’s postindependence history, this collection features poetry by some of Sudan’s most renowned poets.
Trade Review“No list of writing from Sudan would be complete without poetry, and this is a well overdue collection. The excellent selections cover the last six decades and include most of the classical names such as Mohammed Abdul-Hayyand Mahjoub Sharif, as well as some of the younger writers working today. It fills a yawning gap and, hopefully, will inspire others to pursue the same course.”—Jamal Mahjoub, The Guardian
“This is an unprecedented accomplishment not only in translation of modern Sudanese poetry but also scholarship on its history, evolution, poetics, and aesthetics. . . . This book is a great addition to the library of Arab poetry in translation that should appeal to scholars and the general public with interest in Arabic poetry.”—Salah M. Hassan, Goldwin Smith Professor of Africana Studies and History of Art and Visual Studies at Cornell University
“Sudanese literature has long been a significant contributor to Arabic and world letters and culture. The thoughtful, provocative introduction in this anthology, combined with the clear-eyed lyric transformation of the poems into English, honor poetry everywhere. Just as in Iraq, Yemen, Morocco, or the United States, the weight of collective history and ethnic and linguistic diversity emerges to forge these Sudanese poems into art, both bound to and liberated from the national frame. Details matter, nuance is essential. And yet the story of Sudanese poetry is the story of poetry all over the world. From blaze to breeze, this is a beautiful book.”—Fady Joudah, Palestinian American physician and author of the poetry collection
The Earth in the AtticTable of ContentsForeword, by Matthew Shenoda
Acknowledgments
Introduction: Notes on Modern Sudanese Poetry
Khalil FarahMy Beloved Aazza
Muhammad el-Mahdi el-Magzoub
Wedding Parade Idris Jamma’A Poet
In the Spring of Love Mohammed el-FayturiDig No Grave for Me
A Roaming Dervish’s Stanza Yaaqut al-Arsh Jayli Abdel RahmanMigrating from Sai Mohyiddin FarisThe Wharf and the Walkway Rhythms
The Horse and the Wind
Homeland Taj el-Sir el-HassanAn Afro-Asian Song El-Nur Osman AbbakerThe Exile and the Kingdom Mohammed el-Makki IbrahimA Drib of Your Nectar
A Farm on the Hill
Two Love Poems and a Carnival
Songs for October Mustapha SanadThe Old Sea
The Lost Violins Abdel Raheem Abu ZikraDeparture at Night
The Night Girl Ali Abdel QayyoumWho Triggered the Stone’s Tongue? Muhammad Abdul-HaiThe Signs Ode Kamal ElgizouliEncounter
Whispers
A Cell the Size of New Year’s Eve
Monologue Aalim AbbasThe Pre-Eruption Silence Mahjoub SharifThe Homesick Sparrow
Crazy in Love with You
I Say It without Fear
Buffoon! Mahgoub KbaloThe Golden Scythe Song
Deng Malo: A Biography
Pastoral Scriptures Fidaili Jamma’The Silent Rose
A Sun on the Window
Walking a Tightrope Abdulqadir AlkutayabiThe Shores of Your Eyes
I Miss Something Mohammed el-Hassan Salim HimmaidUncle Abdur Raheem
Nura and the Time-Tested Dream Hashim SiddigA Story of a Revolution
A Tale of the Rose and the Street Azhari Mohammed AliA Starting Point Al-Saddig al-RaddiSongs of Solitude Rawda el-HajHeart’s Confessions
A New Ebb in the High Tide Season Rugaia WarragA Frosted Cry
A Tribute to Winter
The Spider’s Text: Millennium Messages to Life Khalid Hassan OthmanAll Alone Najlaa Osman EltomUnder Abundant Shades
Tuesday’s Dilemma
An Acacia Bush in Labor Mamoun EltilibThe Fall of Angels Boi John AwangWrapped in Grief Hatim Al KinaniSkies Nylawo AyulOn the Bank of River Sobat
An Amulet for the Mango Tree Notes
References
List of Contributors
