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nogardens's review
5.0
got my copy in la solidaridad, and I did not regret ever getting one this poetry collection spoke so deeply of my experiences as a queer filipino teenager, as well as just a lover of pop culture and greek mythology. these poems felt like a reflection as did Narcissus in Lamus, but in this case the plunge in to the waters felt more of an embrace than a punishment. mark anthony cayanan and their use of syntax and manipulation of form is so genius and works in each structure of the poem. the entire chapter of the main of light, my god so beautiful.
zarvindale's review
4.0
Desire assumes and wears different forms, ranging from mythology to pop culture, in Mark Anthony Cayanan’s first collection of poems. There is utmost concern for form as much as there is utmost concern for lyricism, so much so that the writing style relentlessly stands up to conventions. Here, the objective is to be aware of and to situtare oneself in the world. Amid the image-building, the poetry must appear/feel fluid as water and solid as a mirror.
poesiya's review
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
4.75
From the distillation of the confessional self to the diffusion of the confessional self, Narcissus as a suite of poetry captures how the self experiences and cognizes through poetry. However, the experiencing self can often work the same way that light does. Encountering surface upon surface, it will reflect, refract, and become absorbed. In Narcissus then, the experiencing self is honored yet placed under scrutiny. Whereas literature has always problematized where the poet as persona-self stands within their own work, Cayanan approaches this with brilliance.
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