The Clouds that Pass

Khalaf Sadhan Al Qurashi's collection of episodic cameos moves between parody and poignancy. The poet mines the history of Arabic culture and views it through a contemporary lens with often absurd and comic intent. His aim is to throw a

light on the delusions we live by and the contradictions we inhabit.

From the heartbreak of the man who cannot afford the toy for his child who has passed away, to the astronaut stuck in space because a military coup has changed the government of the country that is financing his trip, to the man who makes a date on an app only to find he has an assignation with his daughter, to the poet Al Farazdaq being killed by a jinn while he relieves himself, all these prose poems gather as snapshots of a lively, astute and humorous mind reminiscent of La Rochefoucauld or Cortazar.