»Oh, Land«

Libya after the revolution: In 2013, several journeys take the author to the North African country. The civil war is about to break out. From experiences with rebels and other young Libyans originate these poetic fragments, reflections about a torn generation in upheaval – the ‘Pieces of Libya’.

René Märtin (born 1971), therapist, coach and author, has lived and worked since 2010 in the ‘City of Peace’ Osnabrück, Germany. Oh, Land is the author’s first bilingual publication, transferred into English by Gregory Barrett. In 2011 he published the verse narrative ‘Sound of Rescue’ (Norderstedt) and the literary debut of the American author Louis Marshall Gould, who lives in Sweden, ‘The Virgin Chronicles and Song Book’ (Stockholm). Previous publications in 2008 included the poetry volume ‘Durch Wüste und Himmel’ and ‘Nästa år, nästa år’ (Norderstedt and Helsinki). In the same year he also published the volume ‘Hjärteblod på rymmen’ by the Swedish poet Björn GA Donobauer (Helsinki).

Gregory Barrett Gregory Barrett (born in 1953), is an American translator and musician who has lived for many years in Germany. He studied Drama,
Medieval and Renaissance English Literature at the University of Maryland in the 1970s. Oh, Land is his first complete book translation.

I look at you,
my friend and Brother,
you smile
as we push you back into
the cooling compartment.
You smile.