Abdellatif Laâbi is widely acknowledged to be Morocco's greatest living poet. For the last fifty years, he has produced works of unique philosophical and emotional insight that have been guided – above all – by a commitment to say what needed to be said. In 1972 this led to his arrest, torture and eight-and-a-half year imprisonment. This selection features some of his most powerful shorter poems alongside a long extract from his seminal work 'Casablanca Spleen'.

The poems in this edition have been translated by the celebrated poet and translator André Naffis-Sahely and include an afterword by the poet Yousif M. Qasmiyeh reflecting on poetic and ethical courage of Laâbi's work.

The Poetry Translation Centre’s World Poet Series showcases the most exciting living poets from Africa, Asia, the Middle East and Latin America, in beautiful pocket-sized bilingual editions.

"Compelling and accessible, a superb introduction to Abdellatif Laâbi’s poetry, and I welcomed the succinct introduction, and the afterword by Yousif M. Qasmiyeh that provides essential contextual background to the poems."
– Josephine Corcoran, Modern Poetry in Translation

ISBN: 9781916114173
Format: Paperback
Size: 178 x 111mm, 66 pages
Languages: French, English