A review by lovefromhannah
Music for the Dead and Resurrected: Poems by Valzhyna Mort
2.5
[ 2.5 stars ] 'Music for the Dead and Resurrected' is a haunting, descriptive poetry collection by Belarusian poet Valzhyna Mort, draws on a first-hand account of a past grandparent generation of the Soviet labor camps, redistribution of land, and massacres of World War II in Belarus. My favourite poem in this collection is 'Genesis'- especially the opening line: "I've always preferred Cain".
She questions "does everything have to be like a poem?". To answer: no, they don't have to be. I think it would have interesting to see what this collection would have been like as creative non-fiction or maybe even a memoir instead? Despite saying that, these poems are powerful and tell the narrative of Belarus and it's turbulent history.
Thank you to Netgalley and Farrar, Straus and Giroux for granting me this free eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinion are my own, unbiased views.
She questions "does everything have to be like a poem?". To answer: no, they don't have to be. I think it would have interesting to see what this collection would have been like as creative non-fiction or maybe even a memoir instead? Despite saying that, these poems are powerful and tell the narrative of Belarus and it's turbulent history.
Thank you to Netgalley and Farrar, Straus and Giroux for granting me this free eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinion are my own, unbiased views.