Desiderium

Desiderium is a collection of poems by Tunisian writer Samar Herchi, an intimate portrait of the soul that moves through love, loss, and the slow work of putting oneself back together. Its Latin title — a word for longing and the ache for something absent — sets the tone for verse steeped in grief, heartbreak, and desire.

Following a woman through her early adulthood, the collection gathers memories of lost love and traces the transformative, disorienting power of mourning. By turns raw and tender, the poems dwell in yearning before turning, gradually, toward self-discovery and the quiet possibilities that remain after heartbreak.

A personal and emotionally direct debut, Desiderium reads as a map of the human heart — its wounds, its wants, and its capacity to begin again.