Yahia Lababidi, whose work has appeared in these pages, is an Egyptian immigrant and bewildered Muslim in Trump’s America seeking to do some good through his art. His new book – Where Epics Fail – is a work of hope, peace and healing for our wounded world. Lababidi writes that he chose the title, based on a Persian proverb: “Epigrams succeed where epics fail.” His subtitle, Art, Morality and the Life of the Spirit refers to three life-giving spheres of our existence where, Lababidi believes, the grand narratives seem to be failing to hold our attention or capture our imagination. Instead, this is where he hopes his own epigrams might succeed.
Lababidi began writing aphorisms as a teenager in Egypt, more than twenty years ago. Aphorisms may read like headlines, but they contain stories, too—inviting readers of sensitivity and conscience to breathe life into them, by living at a higher level of consciousness. Composed over the past decade or so, Epics, is Lababidi's second collection of aphorisms, featuring over 800 of his elegant brief arts–many of which have gone viral online, been translated internationally, and used in classrooms. Epics will be published by Unbound (UK), the world’s first crowd-funding publisher, in partnership with Penguin Random House.
The term “aphorism” comes from the Greek “Aphorismos.” Hippocrates, a Greek physician of the Age of Pericles (450 BCE to 380 BCE), is reportedly the first person to use the term. According to Oxford Dictionary, an aphorism is defined as: “a pithy observation which contains a general truth; a concise statement of scientific principle.” As novelist Kris Saknussemm writers in Epics’ Introduction:
The aphorism may well be regarded as one of the oldest literary forms, and yet, in this age of Facebook memes, text messages, and sound bites, it may be the most accessible and relevant form of literary expression there is.
Where Epics Fail is generously endorsed by poets and intellectuals, including Richard Blanco, Barack Obama’s inaugural poet. Blanco refers to Lababidi as the “current-day master” of aphorisms. Blanco goes on to describe Lababidi’s aphorisms as “simple, natural gestures, that in fact hold multitudes of meaning rooted in the eternal.” Poet Sharon Dolin appears to agree: “His aphorisms could form a new gnostic religion, and I could dwell a long while inside them. Yahia Lababidi may be our greatest living aphorist.”
Recently, Lababidi’s book of short meditations was featured on PBS Newshour:
The aphorisms in “Where Epics Fail” exhort us to pay attention, believe we can make a difference, keep our hearts open in the face of pain, take responsibility for our actions, avoid ego and do the hard work that comes with sticking to ideals.
Epics is Lababidi’s seventh book. His first book of aphorisms – Signposts to Elsewhere, was selected for Books of the Year, by The Independent (UK). Signposts went on to be translated into Arabic, with a warm introduction by the late, celebrated Egyptian writer, Ahmed Ragab.
Best American Poetry readers who pledge/pre-order from the book’s webpage, will have their names included in the back of the special hardcover edition, as a thank you. Also, the author would like to extend this promo code to BAP readers who pledge before the end of July: yahia17
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