A review by fermented
January Children by Safia Elhillo
5.0
Everything from the details
to the emotional content
"once in geneva i was one of three african girls at school two of which were said to stink i was never told which two"
-from "asmarani does psychogeography"
to the style
are phenomenal.
Elhilla even includes a glossary and a set of notes to translate the Arabic phrases scattered throughout. You'll want to read them, because her wordplay is incredible.
I mean, seriously, even her titles ("a brief history of silence," about repression in the Sudan; "talking with an accent about home," "self-portrait with dirty hair") are better than most poetry.
It's hard to put this down once you start reading. This is a collection of poetry that would leave anyone breathless.
I received this electronic readers' advanced copy through Netgalley via University of Nebraska Press.
"& in the months since my last visit _ i feel american
syrup settle back to coat my r's __ & in new york
i am ambiguous browngirl _ [but your english
is so good you can barely hear the accent]"
-from "republic of the sudan
ministry of interior
passport & immigration general directorate
alien from sudanese origin passcard")
to the emotional content
"once in geneva i was one of three african girls at school two of which were said to stink i was never told which two"
-from "asmarani does psychogeography"
to the style
"our mouths open & a song falls out _ thick
with a saxophone's syrup _ & all our dead
in the ground make our land ours _ & all
our missing fathers make us everything's child"
-from "self-portrait with yellow dress"
are phenomenal.
Elhilla even includes a glossary and a set of notes to translate the Arabic phrases scattered throughout. You'll want to read them, because her wordplay is incredible.
I mean, seriously, even her titles ("a brief history of silence," about repression in the Sudan; "talking with an accent about home," "self-portrait with dirty hair") are better than most poetry.
It's hard to put this down once you start reading. This is a collection of poetry that would leave anyone breathless.
I received this electronic readers' advanced copy through Netgalley via University of Nebraska Press.