Journeys

by Nadine Ltaif, Christine Tipper (Editor)

Overview

Nadine Ltaif's poems reflect deeply on the meaning of life, of regrets and the irrepressible determination to continue living. The poet takes us to Carthage; to Andalusia to contemplate its history of Moors, wars and religion; to India where women's lives, past and present, are expressed through vivid imagery. Hamra sees the exiled poet return to Beirut, the childhood home she fled in 1975. Yet, her poems are full of colour and lightness as she explores her old neighbourhood. This you will not read is a letter of love and absence in Montreal. Journeys are inspirational for Ltaif.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781771834070
Publisher:	Guernica Editions, Incorporated
Publication date:	04/01/2020
Series:	Essential Translations Series , #44
Pages:	85
Product dimensions:	5.00(w) x 8.00(h) x 0.20(d)

About the Author

Nadine Ltaif is a poet and translator, living in Montreal. Her first book, Les Métamorphoses d'Ishtar, was published by Guernica in 1987. Three books of her poetry, Le livre des dunes, Le rire de l'eau and Ce que vous ne lirez pas have been published in Montréal by Le Noroît. Her book Entre les fleuves was translated by Christine Tipper and published by Guernica under the title Changing Shores. An English version of Les Métamorphoses d'Ishtar, translated by John Asfour, was published by Guernica. She has translated John Asfour's book Nisan into French.

Christine Tipper holds a Ph.D. and a Masters in French literary translation from the University of Exeter, England, and is a Member of the Chartered Institute of Linguists and of the Conseil International d'Études Francophones. She works as a freelance interpreter, translator and a freelance teacher of translating and interpreting on Masters programmes at the University of Bath. She has translated several authors for Guernica including Changing Shores by Nadine Ltaif, Evelyne Wilwerth's Smile, you're getting old, Danielle Fournier's We Come From The Same Light and Francis Catalano's Where Spaces Glow.

Table of Contents

In the Bosom of Noun 1

Scenes from Carthage 5

Hagar 8

Andalusian Exile

Andalusian Exile 15

Between relics and disappearances 16

Giralda 17

Guernica 18

Seville (Giralda 2) 20

Santa Justa 25

Like Saint Sebastian 27

Nine Girls Will be as Strong as an Elephant

Nine Girls Will Be as Strong as an Elephant 31

From Jaipur 35

In a photo 36

The Room 39

Hamra

Phoinike 43

Beirut-the-Red 44

Beirut-Hamra 45

Rue Hamra's Newspaper Kiosk 47

Yes, Beirut Has Changed 48

Elissa Hotel 50

Kaakaya 52

The old lady and the roses 53

1975 54

Ya bayé ya bayé ya bayé! 56

Hotel Hit 57

This You Will Not Read

This You Will Not Read 65

I walk in Outremont 68

Have you ever crushed a flower 69

You have gone 70

The craving for life 71

This brings us to the end of your life 74

About the Author 76

About the Translator 77

Editorial Reviews

This uncomplicated poetry's images, whether observing Montreal or India, allow us to reflect deeply on the meaning of life, of regrets and an overwhelming desire to continue to live.

Le Devoir

This paradoxical push-and-pull embodies many other themes that recur throughout Journeys, including the poet’s Arab identity, diaspora, how civilizations pass into dust over time, and the role of woman.

Canadian Literature: A Quarterly Criticism and Review

"This uncomplicated poetry's images, whether observing Montreal or India, allow us to reflect deeply on the meaning of life, of regrets and an overwhelming desire to continue to live." Poésie - Le monde qui se perpétue | Le Devoir — Hugues Corriveau

"Your poetry speaks to us directly. It goes straight to our hearts. Always Beirut. Always religions that kill " Always words that rebuild humanity" — Jean Royer

From the Publisher