<DIV><p>From the Bible to the Quaraan, the fortieth day symbolizes the last moment before deliverance, a moment in time when a supplicant or prophet or stormbeaten passenger knows there is no state &ldquo;after,&rdquo; but finally accepts the present state as a permanent one.</p><p>In <i>The Fortieth Day</i>, Kazim Ali follows the fractured narratives and moving lyrics of his debut collection, <i>The Far Mosque</i>, with a deeply spiritual and meditative book exploring the rhetoric of prayer.</p><p><b>Kazim Ali</b> was born in the United Kingdom and raised in an Islamic household. He holds degrees from the University at Albany and New York University. He lives in Oberlin, Ohio.</p></DIV>