Trials of Hope (የተስፋ ፈተና)

In this profound, groundbreaking narrative, Yirga Gelaw Woldeyes weaves together stories of heritage and heartache. His unique memoir celebrates the beauty of Ethiopian culture while mourning its erosion – first under colonial forces, and later through internal conflict. Framing his work via the Ethiopian belief in the four elemental stages of human experience – water, fire, soil and wind – this is an essential exploration of the human condition, connecting readers to a nation of people whose sagacity and spirit have endured through generations.

You haven’t truly experienced this book until you’ve heard it in Amharic. Listen to Yirga read poems from the book in a podcast episode.

PRAISE FOR THE BOOK

‘For those who resonated with Cameroonian poet Joyce Ashuntantang’s A Basket of Flaming Ashes, Trials of Hope is a fierce, generous book that insists hope is not naivety but duty.’ Books+Publishing