Five Scenes from a Failed Revolution

"Etwebi maintains his composure as a lyric poet... insisting on distilled moments of revelation while addressing his nation Libya's most turbulent epochs ... [these] poems provide solace and rejuvenate, holding on to memory and the purity of their anguish. This is a stunning, beautiful book, one I've been awaiting for a long time."

Khaled Mattawa

"In Five Scenes from a Failed Revolution, Etwebi deftly moves through time, space, argument and protest to capture the essence of the 2011 Arab Spring along with fragments from the poet's past. The work brims with astonishing technique and lyricism, holding both the poet's personal history and that of the onlooking world. 'Oh bird, from the treetop, can you see Etwebia? / Can you smell the orange blossoms of my dead brother?' In this utterly arresting image taken from 'Norwegian Blues', Etwebi effortlessly transcends the present, shooting his poems way into an atmosphere without end. As tragic as it sometimes feels, this for me is the collection's most remarkable achievement."

Anthony Anaxagorou

Ashur Etwebi was born in 1952 in Libya, but fled the country in December 2014 after he was attacked by extremists and his house in Tripoli was burned down. He is one of Libya's leading poets with 9 volumes of poetry to his name and is also an editor, translator and painter. His poetry has been translated into over 10 languages and before he left Libya, he organised (with Khaled Mattawa) the first Tripoli International Poetry Festival in 2012. Five Scenes from a Failed Revolution is Etwebi's first full-length collection to be published in the UK.

James Byrne is a poet, editor and translator. Reader in Contemporary Literature at Edge Hill University, co-director of EHU Press and International Editor for Arc Publications, he has given readings across the world, including in Libya, and is renowned for his commitment to international poetries.

His most recent collections from Arc are Places You Leave (2022) and The Caprices (2019).