Review by Sinclairess -- The Immigrant's Lament

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Chelsey Coles
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Review by Sinclairess -- The Immigrant's Lament

Post by Chelsey Coles »

[Following is a volunteer review of "The Immigrant's Lament" by Mois benarroch.]
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4 out of 4 stars
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The Immigrant's Lament is a collection of non-fiction poems by Mois Benarroch. The author grew up as a Moroccan Jew and the reader follows him through a litany of personal anecdotes conveyed through poetry. His experiences are insightful, despite his broken family life. He turns out to be a drifter who constantly travels and is never confined to one place. As he drifts the reader gets a peek inside of his troubled mind and the political woes of the countries he visits. His perspective is not the only one featured; there are other dark stories told by his loved ones and individuals that made their mark upon him.

Benarroch is a polyglot, so there are phrases in Spanish, Arabic, and French. I learned that some of the poems have been translated from these languages to English. I have only studied French. "Les entrailles du poète" is my favorite poem from this collection. I love the idea of a poet being filled with words instead of blood. As a writer, this created a strong link. If I died, I would feel the same. Benarroch does a wonderful job of capturing the essence of a tortured writer and soul. The pace of the stanzas is consuming.
When they did the autopsy they
found pages and more pages
full of poems written in seventy languages
more and more pages and no blood
no gallbladder and no heart only words

Benarroch, Mois. The Immigrant's Lament (Kindle Locations 1294-1296). Mois Benarroch. Kindle Edition.
Unfortunately, since I do not know the other languages, many of poems' true meanings are lost to me. I'm not sure how accurate the translations are. I had to ask a Moroccan friend who is also a polyglot to explain to me. I learned that one word in particular does not translate to another word, but a feeling. There are such complex emotions in this text, spoken through many different tongues.

I recommend this book for poetry lovers, especially those who enjoy international perspectives. I also recommend it to anyone who is fluent in Spanish, French, and Arabic. But beware: the tone throughout every poem is somber and terse. Some explicit themes are touched upon, but they are artfully expressed and honest.

I do not read poetry often so I cannot judge its technical elements thoroughly. Though it is difficult for me to fully understand its content, it made me broaden my horizons. It is a very touching collection. The text needs to be professionally formatted but there are no glaring errors. I rate it 4 out of 4 stars. This is an intense, engaging read.

******
The Immigrant's Lament
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Ak1412
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Post by Ak1412 »

Benarroch is such an interesting person and I love that you address that in your review.
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Chelsey Coles
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Post by Chelsey Coles »

Ak1412 wrote: 10 May 2019, 10:30 Benarroch is such an interesting person and I love that you address that in your review.
I hope to read more of his work. Thanks for your comment!
“It's far less important to me to be liked these days than to be understood.” :sad-teareye:
― Lionel Shriver, We Need to Talk About Kevin
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Letora
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Post by Letora »

It's a shame when meanings get lost in the translation. Poetry especially is a very descriptive way of writing and can be changed drastically with different words. Thank you for reviewing :)
"Fantasy is a necessary ingredient in living, it's a way of looking at life through the wrong end of a telescope." - Dr. Seuss
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Chelsey Coles
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Post by Chelsey Coles »

Letora wrote: 06 Jun 2019, 18:12 It's a shame when meanings get lost in the translation. Poetry especially is a very descriptive way of writing and can be changed drastically with different words. Thank you for reviewing :)
Thank you for your comment! I am sad I got lost in translation, but I just have to step up my poetry game!
“It's far less important to me to be liked these days than to be understood.” :sad-teareye:
― Lionel Shriver, We Need to Talk About Kevin
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