Barefoot Souls

In this powerful and moving book, Maram al- Masri, the award-winning Syrian poet who has lived much of her life in Paris, presents us with a chronicle of the lives of others - women and some of their children - who exist unseen and unheard in contemporary France. Many of the characters whose real or imagined lives she discloses are isolated as individuals; they endure their lives in quiet desperation, prisoners in one way or another of a great silence. Writing in Arabic and French, Maram al-Masri has donated her voice to breaking that silence with clarity, brevity and compassion, a voice which now resonates throughout the English-speaking world in this fine translation by the Irish poet, Theo Dorgan.


About the Author
Maram al-Masri moved to Paris in 1982 after studying English literature at Damascus. At present she dedicates herself exclusively to literature and translation. Besides numerous poems published in literary journals, in several Arab anthologies and in various international anthologies, she has published several collections of poems. Thus far her work has been translated into eight languages. Received awards include "Adonis Prize" of the Lebanese Cultural Forum for the best creative work in Arabic in 1998, "Premio Città di Calopezzati" for the section "Poésie de la Méditerranée," "Prix d'Automne 2007" of the Société des gens de lettres.