A multilayered exploration of poetry authorship and digital intelligence by “a writer of
immense poetic power” ( The Guardian ) Longlisted for the 2025 National Book Award
Translated Literature “Many paths cross in Ismailov’s beautiful new work—poetry history
and the infinite imagination. Every path winding into another. Every path worth taking.”—Patti
Smith In the late 1980s French poet and psychologist Jon‑Perse finds himself in
possession of one of the most promising inventions of the century: a computer. Enchanted by
snippets of Persian poetry he learns from his Uzbek translation partner Abdulhamid Ismail
Jon-Perse builds a computer program capable of both analyzing and generating literature. But
beyond the text on his screen there are entire worlds—of history philosophy and maybe even of
love—in the stories and people he and AI conjure. Hamid Ismailov brings together his work
as a poet translator and student of literature of both East and West to craft a postmodern
ode to poetry across centuries and continents. Crossing the poètes maudits with beloved Sufi
classics blending absurdist dreams with the life of the famed Persian poet Hafez moving from
careful mathematical calculations to lyrical narratives Ismailov invents an ingenious
transnational poetics of love and longing for the digital age. Situated at the crossroads of a
multilingual world and mediated by the unreliable sensibilities of digital intelligence this
book is a dazzling celebration of how poetry resonates across time and space.
