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twicomb's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
5.0
This slim book of poetry was my introduction to Ananda Devi, an introduction that is apparently long overdue given that it turns out she is "considered one of the major French language writers of Mauritius and the Indian Ocean" and "one of the most important Francophone writers in the world." I've added some of her other books to my TBR list.
Let's talk first about how beautifully this book is laid out. On the left page is Devi's original poem (in French), and on the right page is Kazim Ali's English translation. I wish more translated-poetry books were laid out like this, so that you can appreciate the poem in its original language, whether or not you speak that language. There's still something powerful about seeing the author's original words, and how she laid them out on the page.
The poems themselves are delicate, often dark, multilayered constructions that promise more meaning with each successive reading. The book's afterword is a treat in and of itself. There's a note from the translator, an interview with Ananda Devi, and an essay titled "Reading Devi's Poetry" by assistant professor Mohit Chandna. Lots of meaty stuff here to dig into; I wish all poetry books contained such additional materials. They connected me more deeply to Devi's poetry, and helped me understand some of the more complex elements.
In her interview, she says "When you are young, you think that everything can change. When you grow older, you realize that you yourself have to change, to understand that all of it is part of life's experience, that life is not about pursuing happiness but about coming to terms: with who you are, with what's you've done, with what was not possible, with what is still possible." A good quote to remember.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this eARC for unbiased review.
Let's talk first about how beautifully this book is laid out. On the left page is Devi's original poem (in French), and on the right page is Kazim Ali's English translation. I wish more translated-poetry books were laid out like this, so that you can appreciate the poem in its original language, whether or not you speak that language. There's still something powerful about seeing the author's original words, and how she laid them out on the page.
The poems themselves are delicate, often dark, multilayered constructions that promise more meaning with each successive reading. The book's afterword is a treat in and of itself. There's a note from the translator, an interview with Ananda Devi, and an essay titled "Reading Devi's Poetry" by assistant professor Mohit Chandna. Lots of meaty stuff here to dig into; I wish all poetry books contained such additional materials. They connected me more deeply to Devi's poetry, and helped me understand some of the more complex elements.
In her interview, she says "When you are young, you think that everything can change. When you grow older, you realize that you yourself have to change, to understand that all of it is part of life's experience, that life is not about pursuing happiness but about coming to terms: with who you are, with what's you've done, with what was not possible, with what is still possible." A good quote to remember.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this eARC for unbiased review.
corgimuffins's review against another edition
5.0
oh my god. i loved everything about this. i loved how the original french that the poetry was written in was kept in the book, then the translations were on the next page. i loved the writing and the prose. some of the lines were so good i just had to highlight them and come back to them! also, i loved the interview. the first answer to the question made me feel so many things. i love devi’s style of writing and speaking and ali’s way of translating these poems <3
thank you netgalley for a free copy.
thank you netgalley for a free copy.
mhmrose's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
What a beautiful collection of poetry. When The Night Agrees To Speak To Me was my first exposure to Ananda Devi's work and what an amazing collection it was. It had me feeling SO many emotions as Devi's poetry dives into the colonial past of her home, Mauritius. The fact that Kazim Ali's translation of Devi's collection starts each poem with the original French version makes it feel so unique as you can see the differences and even feel different emotions between them as well as be beautifully sensitive to the meaning beneath the words.
Overall, When The Night Agrees To Speak To Me is an amazing collection of heartfelt poems that hold boundless emotions like the waters surrounding Mauritius. I highly recommend it to anyone who loves poetry.
Thank you, NetGalley and HarperCollins Publishers India for sending me an ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Overall, When The Night Agrees To Speak To Me is an amazing collection of heartfelt poems that hold boundless emotions like the waters surrounding Mauritius. I highly recommend it to anyone who loves poetry.
Thank you, NetGalley and HarperCollins Publishers India for sending me an ARC in exchange for my honest review.
happyknitter2020's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Absolutely loved this devastating collection of poetry.
I have never read a book like this before. It is so unique. Each poem is presented in both French & Engligh language.
The prose short stories towards the end are beautiful yet harrowing. Each poem & prose reflect on culture & politics via womens bodies & experiences, sublime feminism.
The translator's own chapter & interview with the poet was uniquely brilliant. I understand his descriptions of how her words came through his body.
The final chapter reflection analysis takes you deeper into the meaning of the words.
Have never read such a wonderful poetry book & will recommend it to others.
Thanks to @netgalley & publisher for allowing me to provide my feedback.
I have never read a book like this before. It is so unique. Each poem is presented in both French & Engligh language.
The prose short stories towards the end are beautiful yet harrowing. Each poem & prose reflect on culture & politics via womens bodies & experiences, sublime feminism.
The translator's own chapter & interview with the poet was uniquely brilliant. I understand his descriptions of how her words came through his body.
The final chapter reflection analysis takes you deeper into the meaning of the words.
Have never read such a wonderful poetry book & will recommend it to others.
Thanks to @netgalley & publisher for allowing me to provide my feedback.
wesleysbookshelf's review against another edition
4.0
When the Night Agrees to Speak to Me
By Ananda Devi, translated from the French by Kazim Ali
As Adam Hall once wrote, "Meanwhile, we might also console ourselves with the thought that certain great poems, and great poetries, are not incomprehensible, but inexhaustible."
It has been such a delight to go through this little collection of poems. I took it with me to the garden on a day when my street was loud with festival noises. In that garden, it kept me company through it myriad metaphors. The poems close around you like night, falling with their soft cadences, punctuated by the sounds of birds and far-away laughter.
Ananda Devi's poems bring to us a spectrum of themes: womanhood, sexuality, sensuality, the creeping of old-age, the violence and beauty of living on an island nation. There is joy, and there is anger. Devi's collection talks about the body, particularly the female body, uses it as landscape and metaphor. A metaphor for the glories that encompass the experience of being a woman, a metaphor for what violence does to female bodies.
A prose-poetry piece in this collection also takes us to the island country where children are given guns instead of books, suffering instead of stories. A place that is becoming (like the entire world, apparently) more and more comfortable taking away childhoods.
Towards the end of the collection is an interesting exchange of emails between Ananda Devi and Kazim Ali that lend more insight into her work. A total plus!
In the dexterous and more-than-capable hands of Kazim Ali, we come to these poems. We are held in thrall and they unravel from a series of thirty poems, to pieces of prose-poetry. Poems and pieces that are sparsely punctuated, if at all. The lines run at you and then through you, leaving you changed in some way.
We are given the French version on every even-numbered page, and it's English translation on every odd-numbered page. To hear these poems read out loud by a friend who is fluent in French was a special treat.
I am so glad that I was able to read this collection. My thanks to @vivekisms @harpercollinsin @harperperennial for sending this rich, musical, and all-round lovely collection of poems.
By Ananda Devi, translated from the French by Kazim Ali
As Adam Hall once wrote, "Meanwhile, we might also console ourselves with the thought that certain great poems, and great poetries, are not incomprehensible, but inexhaustible."
It has been such a delight to go through this little collection of poems. I took it with me to the garden on a day when my street was loud with festival noises. In that garden, it kept me company through it myriad metaphors. The poems close around you like night, falling with their soft cadences, punctuated by the sounds of birds and far-away laughter.
Ananda Devi's poems bring to us a spectrum of themes: womanhood, sexuality, sensuality, the creeping of old-age, the violence and beauty of living on an island nation. There is joy, and there is anger. Devi's collection talks about the body, particularly the female body, uses it as landscape and metaphor. A metaphor for the glories that encompass the experience of being a woman, a metaphor for what violence does to female bodies.
A prose-poetry piece in this collection also takes us to the island country where children are given guns instead of books, suffering instead of stories. A place that is becoming (like the entire world, apparently) more and more comfortable taking away childhoods.
Towards the end of the collection is an interesting exchange of emails between Ananda Devi and Kazim Ali that lend more insight into her work. A total plus!
In the dexterous and more-than-capable hands of Kazim Ali, we come to these poems. We are held in thrall and they unravel from a series of thirty poems, to pieces of prose-poetry. Poems and pieces that are sparsely punctuated, if at all. The lines run at you and then through you, leaving you changed in some way.
We are given the French version on every even-numbered page, and it's English translation on every odd-numbered page. To hear these poems read out loud by a friend who is fluent in French was a special treat.
I am so glad that I was able to read this collection. My thanks to @vivekisms @harpercollinsin @harperperennial for sending this rich, musical, and all-round lovely collection of poems.
mothgender's review against another edition
4.0
I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This book of poetry is full of raw emotion and hard truths. I found myself on the verge of tears several times throughout the poetry section. I found the ebook to be formatted a strangely, but that might just be because it's a book meant to have the French and English translations side by side.
bugspray's review against another edition
3.0
when the night agreed to speak with me is very hazy and dreamlike, with a few poems seeming to come into focus and then drop away again. every few pages, something would click and i’d feel connected to the writing, but then i’d turn the page & be lost again. it does very much feel like stumbling around a night, trying to find the light.
the french & english side by side is very interesting, i think if u read both u would have the most impact. there is something interesting about how the words + feelings translate. i only speak very minimal french & most of it i have forgotten, so i feel like this added layer of meaning was lost on me.
i do think a lot of people would love this, but it didn’t impact me in the way i expected it to <3
the french & english side by side is very interesting, i think if u read both u would have the most impact. there is something interesting about how the words + feelings translate. i only speak very minimal french & most of it i have forgotten, so i feel like this added layer of meaning was lost on me.
i do think a lot of people would love this, but it didn’t impact me in the way i expected it to <3
zeldazonks's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
Thank you to Net Galley for an advanced copy of this ebook in exchange for my honest review.
I really enjoyed this. The poetry was rich and beautiful, I especially loved the longer form poems starting with 'Words Die a Slow Death.
I think the ebook suffered from some formatting issues which I expect would not be present in a print version however. I appreciated that the original French was included with the English translation, I can't really read French but I liked the opportunity to refer and compare between the two. I also enjoyed the interview with Devi and the additional context provided towards the end of the book. I could have read 500 more pages of Devi's thoughts and the process behind her writing.
I'd have preferred to have some of the contextual information at the start so I'd read it before reading the poems, but it was still nice to have it at all and to see how closely the translator worked with Devi to try and convey the spirit of the poems in the translation.
I really enjoyed this. The poetry was rich and beautiful, I especially loved the longer form poems starting with 'Words Die a Slow Death.
I think the ebook suffered from some formatting issues which I expect would not be present in a print version however. I appreciated that the original French was included with the English translation, I can't really read French but I liked the opportunity to refer and compare between the two. I also enjoyed the interview with Devi and the additional context provided towards the end of the book. I could have read 500 more pages of Devi's thoughts and the process behind her writing.
I'd have preferred to have some of the contextual information at the start so I'd read it before reading the poems, but it was still nice to have it at all and to see how closely the translator worked with Devi to try and convey the spirit of the poems in the translation.
nerdydreamer107's review against another edition
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an eARC. This does not influence my opinion.
When The Night Agrees To Speak With Me is a powerful if short work of poetry and prose. I really enjoyed the poems and loved that the original French was also kept in the book (translation). While I don’t understand much French myself, I feel like especially in poetry it can be helpful to have the original next to the translation, so people who speak both languages can get a feel on both. I find poetry especially hard to translate myself as rhythm and intonation tend to change across languages, which can change the entire meaning and perception of the poem.
About half of the book were interviews with the author, translator and an analysis/interpretation of the collection. While those were interesting, it was not something I expected, especially not taking up roughly half of the entire book, but I can see the relevance of it.
All in all an interesting read I can recommend.