First published 2025
Jon-Perse, a French poet and psychologist, acquires a computer in the late 1980s. His Uzbek translation partner Abdulhamid Ismail shares snippets of Persian poetry that captivate him. Jon-Perse creates a computer program that can analyze and generate literature. The AI begins producing text that opens doors to entire worlds of history, philosophy, and human connection. Stories and characters emerge from the collaboration between human and machine. The program moves between mathematical precision and lyrical expression, crossing French poetic traditions with Sufi classics and the works of Persian poet Hafez. Jon-Perse discovers that poetry can bridge centuries and continents through digital intelligence. The computer becomes a mediator between languages and cultures, generating verses that blur the line between human creativity and artificial creation. At its heart, this is a story about love and longing translated through technology.
Genres: science-fiction, literary-fiction, contemporary, poetry
Vibes: intimate, lyrical, meditative, thought-provoking, transcendent
Tropes: bridge-between-worlds, found-family, love-transcending-boundaries
Setting: France, Uzbekistan
Period: Late 1980s
296 pages · Paperback · Yale University Press