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A review by vulturetime
Portrait of the Alcoholic by Kaveh Akbar
4.0
Review is coming at this as if I had never read any of Akbar's poems before. This is because I've already read (and really enjoyed) three of the poems in here, but since I encountered them in a different context (in Calling a Wolf a Wolf) they felt jarring to me personally. This collection is also smaller than Calling a Wolf a Wolf, so there was less "space" for me to get back into the collection as it stands on its own. If you don't like dealing with repeat poems, I'd recommend Portrait of the Alcoholic first and then Calling a Wolf a Wolf.
Of the poems that were new to me, I really liked "Being in This World Makes Me Feel Like A Time Traveler," "Portrait of the Alcoholic Three Weeks Sober," and "Every Drunk Wants to Die Sober / It's How We Beat the Game." Honorary mentions to "Personal Inventory: Fearless (Temporis Fila)," "Desunt Nonnulla," and "Eager." The poems that I've read before (and enjoyed all of them) were: "Calling a Wolf a Wolf (inpatient)," "Do You Speak Persian?" and "Portrait of the Alcoholic Stranded Alone on a Desert Island."
Of the poems that were new to me, I really liked "Being in This World Makes Me Feel Like A Time Traveler," "Portrait of the Alcoholic Three Weeks Sober," and "Every Drunk Wants to Die Sober / It's How We Beat the Game." Honorary mentions to "Personal Inventory: Fearless (Temporis Fila)," "Desunt Nonnulla," and "Eager." The poems that I've read before (and enjoyed all of them) were: "Calling a Wolf a Wolf (inpatient)," "Do You Speak Persian?" and "Portrait of the Alcoholic Stranded Alone on a Desert Island."