2 out of 4 stars
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Sandip Goswami's Epic of Time is a collection of poems that centers on themes of God, Identity, and Holistic Love. Throughout his collection, Goswami muses about his childhood in India and the individuals around him that have inspired him throughout his life, such as Mother Teresa, his parents, and various other family members. The author also uses this collection of poems to delve into discussions of spirituality and religion, often drawing a line between internalizing love and passion for God versus externalizing those feelings and exhibiting radical behavior.
While several of Goswami’s poems may leave you with inklings of the famous Sufi poets, such as the great Rumi or the ever-romantic Hafiz, the majority of this work is underwhelming. As a whole, Goswami’s poems contain disjointed stanzas and inconsistent, distracting grammar. The author's intended use of elevated English is easily the most frustrating aspect of reading through this collection of poems, as it leaves reader confused about the true meaning of the stanza or thought.
Readers must first "sift" through the author's ramblings in order to finally uncover the few jewels that lay within, such as the individual poems “Hopeless”, “Kashmir-The woman,” and “Circle of Love.” In these few moments of eloquence, Goswami was able to impart a lasting impression of heartbreak, political unrest, and complete devotion to his native land, India. Within these poems, Goswami provides simple, clear images to his readers and proves that despite his flaws as a writer, he is, indeed, a poet.
Sandip Goswami’s Epic of Time will not appeal to the more romantic or expressive readers, unless they are willing to weed-out the many poems that fall flat of charm and panache. It may, however, strike a chord with those who enjoy reading musings or memoirs which lean towards ideas of politics and identity. Regardless of which category readers may fall into, though, Epic of Time will, at the very least, elicit a strong reaction, which is the very point of writing poetry, is it not?
Overall, I rate this book 2 out of 4 stars because although Sandip Goswami’s writing is sometimes eloquent and flows well, the majority of the poems within this collection lack lyricism and style. The poet’s improper use of punctuation (which he uses to signify gravity of a statement, rather than using imagery or metaphors) was distracting, to say the least. Epic of Time will simply not keep readers interested throughout the entirety of the collection.
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Epic of Time
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