Lahāth al-Mashtá: Arabic 2024

Lahāth al-Mashtá (The Panting of Winter) is a poetic and philosophical collection by Iraqi writer Asʿad Āl Fakhrī, published in 2024 by Sameh Publishing. Spanning 168 pages, the book invites readers into a meditative journey through existence, longing, and symbolic renewal, using winter as a metaphor for emotional and intellectual depth. Key features include: A fusion of classical and free verse, with a focus on open-text structures that encourage multiple interpretations Rich use of symbolism and metaphor, especially around absence, silence, and the body’s memory A poetic style that blends Sufi mysticism, existential inquiry, and modernist fragmentation Themes of rebirth, creative solitude, and the aesthetics of coldness, where winter becomes a space for inner transformation The book redefines poetic form by embracing ambiguity and fluidity, offering readers a space to reflect on the beauty hidden in stillness and the quiet urgency of being.