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Standing on Earth
Standing on Earth | Mohsen Emadi
3 posts | 1 read | 4 to read
In his poems of memory and displacement, Iranian poet Mohsen Emadi charts his experience of exile with vivid, often haunting imagery and a child's love of language. Lyn Coffin's translations from the Persian allow Emadi's poems to inhabit the English language as their own, as the poet recasts his earliest memories and deepest loves over the forges of being "someone who goes to bed in one city and wakes up in another city." Alternating between acceptance and despair, tenderness and toughness, he writes, "I wanted to be a physicist," but "Your kisses made me a poet." Mohsen Emadi is a powerful witness to life in the present times, and Standing on Earth introduces a major world poet to an English-language readership for the first time.
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balletbookworm
Standing on Earth | Mohsen Emadi
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A beautifully written and translated collection of poems centered on loss and displacement. While you could read "the lover" invoked throughout as an actual person - and may, in some instances, be referencing someone specific - I feel like the poet means to reference country and culture. The speaker has been forcibly removed from his culture and so mourns it like a lost lover.

Read for 2017 Read Harder challenge. Thanks @JessReads for the rec.

JessReads I'm glad you liked it! I agree with your review completely. I think that it was a beautiful meditation especially on language and displacement. 8y
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balletbookworm
Standing on Earth | Mohsen Emadi
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A #newbook for my #readharder2017 task "Read a book of poetry in translation not on the subject of love." Found via @JessReads Litsy feed. ❤ #newbooks #readharder #amreading

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JessReads
Standing on Earth | Mohsen Emadi
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Well damn. I'm going to need a minute here. Let's just say I haven't had a poetry experience quite like that since Night Sky with Exit Wounds.

balletbookworm Are these about love? (Please say no, I need a killer poetry collection in translation not about love for #readharder 😜) 8y
JessReads @balletbookworm That's exactly why I picked it up! There are some about love, but it's also about identity and diaspora and language, and I picked it because it is supposed to not be about love, so I'm counting it! 8y
balletbookworm @JessReads sweeeeeeet! 8y
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