The Blueness of the Evening

Hassan Najmi, born in Ben Ahmed in 1960, now resides in Rabat. He is the author of two novels and ten poetry collections. His poetry has been translated into more than ten languages and he has himself translated many poets into Arabic, including Giuseppe Ungaretti, Sophia de Mello Breyner Andresen, Philippe Jaccottet, Yannis Ritsos, and Anna Akhmatova.

Mbarek Sryfi, a lecturer at the University of Pennsylvania, has translated fiction, poetry, and non-fiction, including three books, two from Arabic and one from French.

Eric Sellin, professor emeritus at Tulane University, is the author or editor of nine books of poetry written in English and French and many translations published in anthologies and journals. Since his retirement from teaching in 2001, Sellin has been translating poetry and writing essays on the art and theory of translation.