Fatima of The Hills (EDMUND ENGLISH) –– Subs Publishing

An excerpt from the introductory page of Edmund English's poetry and photo book concerning his recent trip to Morocco:

A plane will take you anywhere, money will make it comfortable, though you
don’t need much, and an open door (with an open mind) will lead you to an experience, something other than your normal 9-5 and your western comfort. Perhaps I was looking for something, in the vein of Orientalisme, just without the colonialism, some artistic expression for my life as I had run up to the point of being a floating millennial who had carved his way through his existence and had come to the ‘milestone,’ of turning 30. At 29 the great Siddhartha had strode out to fulfil his questions about life, in 6 years he became enlightened. Jesus had got it all done by the age of 33. Let’s not even mention Keats and Mozart. Poets have a habit of drying up after their 20s. However, perhaps your thirties are your prime years and the most important years of adulthood. Whatever it is, my friends were getting married, or having kids and I was single and needed a break.

Looking for inspiration, I was following in the footsteps of the counterculture of the 60’s. The Beatles & The Stones, Nick Drake (who in Morocco played a song to Mick & Keith), Jimi Hendrix (who lived and wrote Castles Made of Sand in Essaouira) and the Incredible String Band, who re-formed the band when Williamson turned up in Edinburgh with a load of Moroccan instruments. It was a go-to destination on the hippie hash trail, let alone a hotspot for artists, writers and poets through the ages. I had never been, I needed something different from the UK and Morocco seemed like the right kind of melting pot, African but Arab, still with some European hangover and a great history. However meaningful my trip intended to be; it was just a getaway holiday.

Morocco was a sensual delight, the sights and sounds, the smells, the atmosphere, the buzz of the old towns, really overcame your senses. It pulled you in and immersed you in the beauty of the country. I intended to document my time there through photography and speak of my experience through poetry, hoping that some of the richness of the place would come through the work. Keep tripping, keep truckin’…

The zine is printed in high quality full colour print.

20 pages.
21cm x 14.8cm.