HERE AND THERE - Poems by Basim Furat. HeadworX Publishers, Wellington.
Basim Furat was born in Iraq in 1967, in a city called Karbalaa. This book is the first in Arabic to be translated into English, in NZ. There are various translators. What turns out is a marvellously liquid and upfront celebration of life. Furat was inducted into the Iraqi army under compulsory military service in 1990 but left Iraq for Jordan in 1993. His poetry has been published all over the world but this is the first one translated from Arabic. The production of this book is impeccable and the design compact. In “My Ranks Defeated” a memorable line, “I have a spittle of aeroplanes”. This book is deserving of deep reading and considerable attention. Students of history and particularly those who have studied the Nazi holocaust will recognise the agony and the memory in many of these poems. Write to the publisher if you can't find this book in bookshops.
Basim Furat was born in Iraq in 1967, in a city called Karbalaa. This book is the first in Arabic to be translated into English, in NZ. There are various translators. What turns out is a marvellously liquid and upfront celebration of life. Furat was inducted into the Iraqi army under compulsory military service in 1990 but left Iraq for Jordan in 1993. His poetry has been published all over the world but this is the first one translated from Arabic. The production of this book is impeccable and the design compact. In “My Ranks Defeated” a memorable line, “I have a spittle of aeroplanes”. This book is deserving of deep reading and considerable attention. Students of history and particularly those who have studied the Nazi holocaust will recognise the agony and the memory in many of these poems. Write to the publisher if you can't find this book in bookshops.
