Monday, April 2, 2018

Book Review -- The Immigrant's Lament

Review by bordovaer -- The Immigrant's Lament



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The Immigrant's Lament is an amazing collection of poetry written by Mois Benarroch, a Moroccan-born Israeli poet and writer, who was awarded the Israel Prime Minister’s Prize for Literature in 2009.

The book begins with the title’s namesake, The Immigrant's Lament. The reader is given a short background of the author which ties nicely to the poems that follow. The compilation of the poet’s work is possibly unrelated to the first one, but they each tell a tale of their own which I had enjoyed more and more as I read into them one by one.

When I first picked up this book, I expected a small collection of poems; but what I had found was a journey through the poet's eyes: a tale of trials and memories of hardship. I felt entranced by the vivid words that make the reader feel not just the emotions of the author but the color that is painted upon the canvas that lay within the book's pages. The difficulties in life were well written, as if speaking to my soul. As I reached the next page, I could feel that I can relate to each poem before me; a feeling of being lost and finding a bit of yourself in everything around you. I think that is what I enjoy most about poetry: peering into a certain depth that the writer allows you to see; like gazing upon a new world described only by a few words.

What I enjoyed most about the book were the images that would pop into the reader’s imagination as each word was read. For example, there is one poem that talks about lying in bed with his lover and only enjoying being in bed with them, talking about the smell of their shampoo and the feel of their skin, as the world passes by. I could relate to this as I too enjoy being in bed with my girlfriend whom I repeatedly tell that I enjoy her touch and the smell of her body as I only have us in mind and forget about the world outside. It’s amazing to what one may find in a book full of poems as I was not expecting to find one that I could so easily relate to.

Some of the poems in the book may be too colorful for young readers as they lightly touch on the topic of intimacy, rape, or transsexual. So word of warning, if one is sensitive on those subjects, this book might not be your cup of tea. To each their own. 

I highly recommend reading this book with your favorite afternoon beverage while keeping an open mind and enjoying the text. I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars. I am glad to have picked this book up as it helped fill my time and made me think about writing poetry once more.

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The Immigrant's Lament 
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Read  The immigrant's Lament in
English https://www.amazon.com/dp/1519012616

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