Four forces of nature, two languages, one story: Yirga Gelaw Woldeyes on Trials of Hope (የተስፋ ፈተና)

The Fremantle Press Podcast

Jan 19 2026 | 00:22:27

00:00 / 00:22:27

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Show Notes

Winner of the 2024 Hungerford Award, Yirga Gelaw Woldeyes, joins the Fremantle Press podcast to talk about his award-winning manuscript, Trials of Hope (የተስፋ ፈተና). A unique blend of memoir and poetry, written in both English and Amharic, Trials of Hope tells the story of how Yirga grew up in Ethiopia before moving to Western Australia. Yirga reads poems from the book in both Amharic and English, and takes us deeper into the structure of the novel as mirrored by the four forces of nature, and he reflects on our relationship with place and the value of stories. Show notes […]

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