Edited by André Naffis-Sahely The Heart of a Stranger: An Anthology of Exile Literature

Anthologist André Naffis-Sahely says he provided a historical perspective toThe Heart of a Stranger: An Anthology of Exile Literature. From Ancient Egypt to contemporary poetry, six continents, over a hundred contributors, drawn from twenty-four languages, Naffis-Sahely calls it a platform for writers who need wider exposure. It is unexplored world literature that is not part of any canon but that includes the classics; it is moving political poetry that is not merely political—as beautiful and moving as any poetry at all. It is lost souls restoring their sense of home.

An excerpt from The Heart of a Stranger: An Anthology of Exile Literature.

Civilization begets exile; in fact, being banished from one’s home lies at the root of our earliest stories, whether human or divine [...] and my aim with this anthology was to produce a miniature history of humanity as seen through the prism of exile. In fact, if our earliest texts are any indication, the very concept of recorded history — and literature — appears to spring out of the necessity of exile, preserving in our minds what had been bloodily erased on earth.

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Excerpted fromThe Heart of a Stranger: An Anthology of Exile Literature. Copyright © 2020 All rights reserved.