"What is timeless in these poems is the power of griefsheer cliffs and drops of despair that Ali masters and spins into verse with astonishing technical virtuosity, employing his favorite form, the ancient ghazal. . . . Besides Buddha and the Koran, there are echoes here of Judaic scripture. Ali is the voice of the whirlwind, the form once taken by the deity of the Old Testament. As the ghazal form weaves itself into the echoing tapestry of grief-readers follow the patterns, rapt, discerning chanting beyond the words. It is as if the high keening cry of elephants driven to their death by invaders of Kashmirthe sound that his dying mother likened to the sirens outside her hospital room at Lenox Hill in New Yorkrises in unbearable importuning."Carol Muske-Dukes, Los Angeles Times
"Ali's poems speak to the enduring qualities of love and friendship. With elegance and wit,they also speak to the difficulty of maintaining such relationships. In 'Barcelona Airport,' Ali recounts an interrogation by an airport security officer who asks if he is carrying anything that could be dangerous. Ali replies, 'O just my heart.'"Michael Collier, in Poet's Corner, The Baltimore Sun
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"What is timeless in these poems is the power of griefsheer cliffs and drops of despair that Ali masters and spins into verse with astonishing technical virtuosity, employing his favorite form, the ancient ghazal. . . . Besides Buddha and the Koran, there are echoes here of Judaic scripture. Ali is the voice of the whirlwind, the form once taken by the deity of the Old Testament. As the ghazal form weaves itself into the echoing tapestry of grief-readers follow the patterns, rapt, discerning chanting beyond the words. It is as if the high keening cry of elephants driven to their death by invaders of Kashmirthe sound that his dying mother likened to the sirens outside her hospital room at Lenox Hill in New Yorkrises in unbearable importuning."Carol Muske-Dukes, Los Angeles Times
"Ali's poems speak to the enduring qualities of love and friendship. With elegance and wit,they also speak to the difficulty of maintaining such relationships. In 'Barcelona Airport,' Ali recounts an interrogation by an airport security officer who asks if he is carrying anything that could be dangerous. Ali replies, 'O just my heart.'"Michael Collier, in Poet's Corner, The Baltimore Sun
Imprint | W W Norton & Co Inc |
Country of origin | United States |
Release date | 2002 |
Availability | Supplier out of stock. If you add this item to your wish list we will let you know when it becomes available. |
Authors | Agha Shahid Ali |
Dimensions | 250 x 200 x 19mm (L x W x T) |
Format | Hardcover |
Pages | 96 |
Edition | 1st ed |
ISBN-13 | 978-0-393-04149-1 |
Barcode | 9780393041491 |
Categories | |
LSN | 0-393-04149-2 |