From the Publisher
A sense of exile and belonging dominates the poems, following
the journey of a blind man whose life in his new land has been
hampered by prejudice and barriers to communication. Exposing the
rich and surprising possibilities of a life that has undergone a
frightening transformation, Blindfold relates feelings of loss,
displacement, and disorientation experienced not only by the
disabled but by everyone who finds themselves separated from the
norm. Silver Threads He recalls the absence of sound, the
impossible silence the disappearance of light. He is only aware of
the movement of his mother''s hand inside her purse, looking for
her handkerchief. He recalls her warning not to play with unknown
objects the type that explode on impact. Later, he lies in the dark
remembering how she pointed out the silver threads of the morning
light just the day before and he sparkles with guilt.
About the Author
John Mikhail Asfour is a translator and former professor of
literature. The editor of the landmark anthology When the Words
Burn: An Anthology of Modern Arabic Poetry, he has written four
previous books of poems.
About the Book
Blinded by a grenade in Lebanon as a teenager, poet John Asfour came to Canada armed with James Joyce's words, "For the eyes, they bring us nothing. I have a hundred worlds to create and I am only losing one of them." Blindfold investigates the ways in which disability influences our lives and is magnified in our minds. In a series of thematically linked poems, Asfour draws the metaphor of the blindfold across the eyes of sighted citizens who are impaired by estrangement, emotional complexity, and social pressures.
Format: Trade Paperback
Published: March 22, 2011
Publisher: McGill-Queen's University Press
Language: English
The following ISBNs are associated with this title:
ISBN - 10: 077353847X
ISBN - 13: 9780773538474