The aphorism is an ancient form, much ignored in the world of creative writing courses and commercial publishing but incredibly valuable in a writer’s repertoire of tools for its air of wisdom or arrogance. There is nothing like an aphorism in a piece of prose to nail a theme or a revery, to add wit and vigor. Numéro Cinq is trying to patch up the cultural hole. We have published original aphorisms (from The Devil’s Dictionary for Writers) by Steven Heighton and a collection of Russian aphorisms translated by Alex Cigale. And who can forget our aphorism contests (from the long gone days when we had energy to run contests — perhaps they will resurrect themselves)? Yahia Lababidi is an Egyptian-born aphorist, poet and essayist, a self-styled sayer of wise truths and provocative barbs. It’s a huge pleasure to present here a small selection of his oeuvre. See also below a link to an interview/conversation with Alex Stein on writing aphorisms.
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A poem arrives like a hand in the dark.
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The air is dense with stray spirits, swarming for soul.
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Heart like a minefield, one misstep and…
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Our life is like a long day; it’s easier to fall sleep if we have remained awake.
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Every day we’re offered this world or the next; but one cannot be myopic and farsighted at once.
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Sometimes presence of mind is to take a leave of absence.
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Just be yourself, they say. Which one, I think?
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Part of the definition of an aphorist is one who spots aphorisms, and loosens them from the prose — the way Michelangelo described his sculpting process as freeing the angel from the marble.
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Artists are parasites. Their independence is a myth tolerated by countless hosts.
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What often strikes us in quotations is ourselves. How these great, dead writers could articulate our innermost longing before us.
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Certain cherished books are like old loves. We didn’t part on bad terms; but it’s complicated, and would require too much effort to resume relations.
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There is such a thing as spiritual clutter and hoarding, too.
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Metaphysics: a fury for allegory.
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Best not flirt with disaster lest she decide to commit.
— Yahia Lababidi
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Egyptian-born, Yahia Lababidi is the author of three collections: Signposts to Elsewhere (aphorisms), Trial by Ink: From Nietzsche to Bellydancing (essays) and Fever Dreams (poetry). Lababidi’s work has been widely published in US and international journals as well as being translated into several languages, including: Hebrew, Slovak, Spanish, German, and Italian. A juror for the 2012 Neustadt Prize for International Literature, his latest book project is a series of ecstatic, literary dialogues with Alex Stein, titled: The Artist as Mystic: Conversations with Yahia Lababidi.
Here is a link to a conversation from The Artist as Mystic, where the author discusses how he began writing aphorisms (among other things).
Well said and developed …long lost aphorism style…its a pleasure to see the revival!!
Nicely drawn those thoughts.
Thank you, Walid and Unnati, for reading and for your warm, encouraging words!