Books Review: Mourning in the Presence of a Corpse. By Norbert Hirschhorn. Dar al-Jadeed (Beirut),£5

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Published: 13 November 2008

Health hero’s verse

FORMER US president Bill Clinton hailed him as “an American health hero” for his pioneering medical work in war-torn countries around the globe, but in his autumn years Norbert Hirschhorn is garnering praise for something completely different – poetry.
The retired physician, who revolutionised rehydration treatment across the developing world and now lives in West Hampstead with his architect wife, has just released his sophomore collection, entitled Mourning in the Presence of a Corpse.
Hirschhorn, 70, is the first non-Arabic writer to be published by the influential Dar al-Jadeed imprint in Beirut, where he lives half of the year.
“The collection was very much influenced by Lebanon. It’s a dangerously endearing country. It’s the perfect country for a poet,” he says. “The book has been very well reviewed in the Arab press. When they praise an American of all things, this to me is the highest praise. Some would say the book is dark and despairing – I would say it is optimistic and unblinking.
Despite rave reviews, he remains modest: “I love the craft and I keep studying it and trying to get better at it.”
SIMON WROE

• Mourning in the Presence of a Corpse. By Norbert Hirschhorn. Dar al-Jadeed (Beirut),
£5 inc postage. Contact the author to purchase: bertzpoet@yahoo.com

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