Reviews

Repubblica sorda by Ilya Kaminsky

tumblehawk's review against another edition

4.0

Glad to finally read this book of poems from Ilya Kaminsky that everyone is always raving about, Deaf Republic. It felt like more than a book of poems, it was a play and a novella and also something very much its own. The poems tell the story of a fictional place called Vasenka where during a brutal crackdown a soldier kills a deaf boy. The villagers become deaf at the sound of the gunshot, their deafness an act of resistance, their resistance carried on through signs and signals. The poems are often sad and festive at the same time, filled with a lively cast of characters and lines and images that shine oh so brightly. I really enjoyed it.

swayzerainey's review against another edition

3.0

I am going to need to read this again! A collection of poems to tell a story - I was a little confused at some points, but it is an intriguing book.

teangerine's review against another edition

dark reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

This book is a very quick read, and the author balances plot and poetry well. Kaminsky makes connections that mess with your brain a little bit (in the best way) and the poems themselves are amazing. However, the book seemed too vague and I felt detached from the characters. The reader isn’t given enough time to connect with the characters, especially because it’s written in third person omniscient and the characters change or die off quickly (unlike one of my favorite novels in verse, the Poet X). Though the concept is intriguing and a fresh perspective of rebellion, freedom, censorship, and war, the plot is difficult to follow. The Deaf Republic is worth the read, mostly because it’s so short and won’t take up much of your time.

lidiaslibrary's review against another edition

really enjoyed the 'question' poems and how they all ended the same way and were so spread out AND i think i definitely liked the first act better than the second (also the first one was way longer than the second one... just something to note)

shasi__'s review against another edition

emotional sad fast-paced

4.5

grdsbrg's review against another edition

2.0

This looked very promising at first. Emphasis on ‘at first’. After the first ten or so poems I knew I would hate this. I just did not understand the need to mix such a devastating topic, in what could be a collection of beautiful and heartbreaking poems, with so much useless and unnecessary sexual content. I want to feel the feelings of the victims and the oppressed - not imagine the poor dead boy’s father’s erect penis…

So to sum up in one sentence - I hated this way more than I thought I would. And I stand by what I will preach till the end of time - poetry is good only in Latvian. Yes, I’m biased. I’m giving this two stars, not one, only because I liked the concept and thought the story was interesting enough. The execution, however - a massive letdown.

maisieme123's review against another edition

dark emotional sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

ben_gilbert33's review against another edition

emotional sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix

5.0

hedmunds's review against another edition

1.0

A book that started so strong “we (forgive me) lived happily during the war” turned terrible quickly. Maybe I do not get poetry, or maybe it was just written by a man. Either way, a book about the hardships of war does not need unnecessary sexualization of women. “They are everywhere, Nipples like bullets” “my penis sticking out - for years in your direction.”

Waste of my time and my money.

mayatime's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional inspiring medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.5

Kaminsky’s experimental formal and stylistic  manoeuvres create novel reflections on the nature of language and the psyche as a whole. This poetic political epic turns to sign and gesture as a form of resistance beyond the authoritarian control of the written/spoken word in an occupied military state. I highly recommend Deaf Republic to anyone— even if traditional poetry isn’t your thing.