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Signposts to Elsewhere
In homage to a tradition advanced by philosophers and pundits from Confucius to Oscar Wilde to Dr. Seuss, Jane Street Press is pleased to release the electronic version of Signposts to a book of aphorisms & other tailored thoughts, by Egyptian-Lebanese author Yahia Lababidi. Aphorisms, by the author’s own definition, are ‘complete fragments.’ Witty, resonant, and precise, they capture the contradictory nature of human truths and sentiments, reflecting ‘the soul’s dialogue with itself.’"Signposts to Elsewhere is sorbet sharp, always leaving the palate clean for another, and another…"- Mark Simpson, The Independent (UK) ‘Books of the Year,’ 2008
- GenresPoetry
88 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2007
2 people are currently reading
90 people want to read
About the author
Yahia Lababidi
22 books105 followersYahia Lababidi is an acclaimed Arab-American writer of Palestinian heritage, author of more than a dozen books of aphorisms, poetry, essays, and conversations. His work unites Eastern mysticism, Western philosophy, and Arab heritage to explore life’s enduring questions: love, faith, suffering, and self-discovery.
His newest books are On the Contrary: Wilde & Nietzsche (Fomite Shorts, 2025), a meditation on two contrarians who turned life into art and thought into moral adventure, and What Remains to Be Said (Wild Goose Publications, 2025), a career-spanning collection of aphorisms written over three decades. Philosophical yet poetic, these reflections offer clarity and consolation in a time of noise, conflict, and distraction.
Lababidi’s Palestine Wail (Daraja Press, 2024) is a love letter to Gaza, praised by Naomi Shihab Nye and translated into seven languages. His poems for Palestine have been read at literary festivals across the world and shared in classrooms and vigils alike.
Earlier works include Quarantine Notes (Fomite Press, 2023), written during the global pandemic; Desert Songs (Rowayat, 2022); Learning to Pray: A Book of Longing (Kelsay Books, 2021); and Revolutions of the Heart (Wipf & Stock, 2020). His acclaimed aphorism collections Signposts to Elsewhere and Where Epics Fail were endorsed by President Obama’s inaugural poet, Richard Blanco, who called Lababidi “the current-day master of the aphorism.”
His writing has appeared on PBS NewsHour, NPR, ABC Radio, On Being with Krista Tippett, Best American Poetry, The Guardian, and World Literature Today. A five-time Pushcart nominee, Lababidi has spoken at Oxford University and served as a juror for the Neustadt International Prize for Literature and the PEN/Heim Translation Fund Grant.
His newest books are On the Contrary: Wilde & Nietzsche (Fomite Shorts, 2025), a meditation on two contrarians who turned life into art and thought into moral adventure, and What Remains to Be Said (Wild Goose Publications, 2025), a career-spanning collection of aphorisms written over three decades. Philosophical yet poetic, these reflections offer clarity and consolation in a time of noise, conflict, and distraction.
Lababidi’s Palestine Wail (Daraja Press, 2024) is a love letter to Gaza, praised by Naomi Shihab Nye and translated into seven languages. His poems for Palestine have been read at literary festivals across the world and shared in classrooms and vigils alike.
Earlier works include Quarantine Notes (Fomite Press, 2023), written during the global pandemic; Desert Songs (Rowayat, 2022); Learning to Pray: A Book of Longing (Kelsay Books, 2021); and Revolutions of the Heart (Wipf & Stock, 2020). His acclaimed aphorism collections Signposts to Elsewhere and Where Epics Fail were endorsed by President Obama’s inaugural poet, Richard Blanco, who called Lababidi “the current-day master of the aphorism.”
His writing has appeared on PBS NewsHour, NPR, ABC Radio, On Being with Krista Tippett, Best American Poetry, The Guardian, and World Literature Today. A five-time Pushcart nominee, Lababidi has spoken at Oxford University and served as a juror for the Neustadt International Prize for Literature and the PEN/Heim Translation Fund Grant.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
June 23, 2023
Mr. Lababidi is a multi-talented writer and poet. This reader can compare his works to those of Nietzsche; which is to say his poetry and writings deal with some serious thoughts. Mr. Lababidi composes thoughts on faith, death, art and love to name of few. Whereas we disagree on politics, that in no way prevents me from enjoying his work and poetry. I am now reading his "Barely There, Short Poems."
October 9, 2017
Aphorisms are funny things. Somehow it feels wrong to read them at all at once. We are used to hearing them predicated by the appropriate circumstance. It is doubly confusing to think of them being "created", unless by Rumi or Ben Franklin. I suppose the Dali Lama could do it if he was feeling clever.
But that is just what the author has done, and it largely works. He is obviously a thoughtful person living an internal love triangle of poetry, philosophy and wit. I read it over a weekend here and there. It is short, but like a box of assorted chocolates, too many destroys your appetite for them. However, in the same way, you seem to come to the end of the box sooner than you'd planned.
A few teasers:
- With enigmatic clarity, Life gives us a different answer each time we ask her the same question.
- A good listener is one who helps us overhear ourselves.
- Tattoo: graffiti on a masterpiece.
But that is just what the author has done, and it largely works. He is obviously a thoughtful person living an internal love triangle of poetry, philosophy and wit. I read it over a weekend here and there. It is short, but like a box of assorted chocolates, too many destroys your appetite for them. However, in the same way, you seem to come to the end of the box sooner than you'd planned.
A few teasers:
- With enigmatic clarity, Life gives us a different answer each time we ask her the same question.
- A good listener is one who helps us overhear ourselves.
- Tattoo: graffiti on a masterpiece.
June 9, 2023
Yahia Lababidi has a gift for writing aphorisms. He dances gracefully with the hard truths, has an intuitive sense of their many faces and follows their steps unselfconsciously, with style. I'll be reading and rereading these aphorisms for a long time...for their quiet humor and compassion, wisdom, and companionship.
May 16, 2017
Indeed, when someone looks back, all the dots would just connect. Not being a scientist allows me to observe things with emotions and imagination. Decade ago, I sank to Walter Benjamin and Susan Sontag, condemning wars. If there is no wars, Walter Benjamin could finish his book only contains quotations, I hope. Decade later, fortunate enough to come across Yahia Lababidi's aphorism. Wonderful, it's wonderful.
Aphorism, "the complete fragment", as the aphorist puts it, lives by its own. Each aphorism holds up a world, full of meaning, yet concise. In the future, I'd rather live in a house built by words. But will that be heavy for me to breathe? Or it will be the ultimate freedom? No idea.
The book definitely wroth re-reading. Only by reading it, it gives a meditative feeling, with soul, with thoughts.
I highly recommend this book.
Aphorism, "the complete fragment", as the aphorist puts it, lives by its own. Each aphorism holds up a world, full of meaning, yet concise. In the future, I'd rather live in a house built by words. But will that be heavy for me to breathe? Or it will be the ultimate freedom? No idea.
The book definitely wroth re-reading. Only by reading it, it gives a meditative feeling, with soul, with thoughts.
I highly recommend this book.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews