Back-cover text:
Raised in a world of love and Sufism, Ahmad Al-Shahawi is a child of philosophy, language, original metaphor, and impossible loves. He draws on the cultural heritage that shaped him while keeping time with the rhythms of his age. Reading his work, one may wonder whether one is listening to a dervish or a modern poet.
The reader shares in his ceaseless search for wisdom, finding themselves, at an unexpected moment or in an unexpected place, in its embrace. A Sky in My Name is a new form the poet has carved from the soul over the course of a long poetic journey. Al-Shahawi’s poetry springs from the experience of an Egyptian Arab poet, yet speaks to people wherever they may be.
—Mehmet Hakkı Suçin