4 out of 4 stars
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The Immigrant’s Lament by Mois Benarroch is an autobiographical book of poems. Mois Benarroch is one of the leading Israeli poets. He has six books published in Israel. In 2012 he was awarded the Yehuda Amichai poetry prize. The author uses poetry to describe events, and the emotions he experienced throughout his life. The poems are short, except for two, both spanning over several pages. These poems cover many topics such as love, freedom, war, politics, and his thoughts and frustration on religion.
Some of the poems I found were easy to relate to. It was interesting to read about how the author felt while traveling and living in new places. I liked how his emotions changed throughout the book, it made it feel much more down to earth. I don’t typically read poetry, but the fact that it was more like an autobiography made it much more interesting. The poems were written in free verse, which made it easier to read, especially if you’re new to poetry. Every poem had a strong message and could stand on its own.
Reading this book was almost like watching the author grow up, seeing how his emotions developed over time as he lived his life. His confusion about religion is something I think many people experience and can relate to. The poem “Good-Bye” I felt was one of the strongest. At some point of life this is something everybody feels. I thought a few of the poems were depressing, but that’s to be expected in life. Other than that, there was nothing I didn’t like about the book.
This collection of fifty-three poems was short but powerful. In this book there is something everyone can relate to in some way. I have a bad habit of thinking that poems are too complicated to read and understand, but that was not the case here.
I rate The Immigrant’s Lament 4 out of 4 stars. This book was not over complicated and I had no trouble comprehending what I read. Most of the poems were short and easy to keep up with. I did notice a few spelling mistakes, this could have been because of translation. The book was written in Hebrew and translated to English in 2016. They were not distracting and did not take away anything from the book. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys poetry, particularly for people who are new to writing or reading poetry.
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The Immigrant's Lament
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