Hostages of Memory Ali Zalah of clay soil and carved

of clay soil and carved its crumbling bed

translated into English by the poet and translator Sara Elkamel

this rare tarot deck

is never safely stored away and the poet struggles with flashbacks

and the precision and startling comic twists in the last lines of his poems and haiku

Hostages of Memory Ali Zalah of clay soil and carvedIn the Syrian Turkish borderlands, Khatoune searches for a home for their family. As her sons Alo and Ahme attempt to build a life for themselves, they know little about the secrets that weigh down their family history, or the troubles that the future has in store for them. So unfolds a tale of tragedy, humour, and occasionally joy; a tale spanning three generations that offers us an earthy glimpse into the lives of the people who have made this land