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jcampbell's review against another edition
reflective
4.5
the poems are excellent and help transport you to a place I've never been to.
sloatsj's review against another edition
4.0
This one jumped out at me from the shelf of an overloaded used book store. It wouldn’t have, except for the fact it was published by NYRB, a pretty good pedigree, and its striking cover. I’d never heard of Arun Kolatkar otherwise, but since NYRB doesn’t do much poetry (they do some), I figured this would be worth checking out. I dipped in first, reading a few poems, and bought the book.
"Jejuri" is a poem sequence, based on a trip the poet took with his brother and a friend or two to the town of Jejuri, a pilgrimage site in India. Kolatkar isn’t a religious man particularly; he’s there more as a kind of why-not tourist, and the poems juxtapose the supposedly holy with the profane in a plainspoken way. The poems are approachable; the voice is straightforward and curious. There is a good dose of humor. Most of the poems are on the short side. The longest one is three pages long, and it’s a very good one (“Ajamil and the Tigers”).
I found the book enjoyable and different and accessible. My relative ignorance about Indian gods and mythology didn’t get in the way, and the poems didn’t make a lot of presumptions on that. There are notes in the back to (superficially) identify the gods and such, which was helpful. One of my favourite poems from the book is “Chaitanya”* -
come off it
said chaitanya to a stone
in stone language
wipe that red paint off your face
i don’t think it suits you
i mean what’s wrong
with just being a plain stone
i’ll still bring you flowers
you like the flowers of zendu
don’t you
i like them too
(*Actually there are two poems in the book titled "Chaitanya." Chaitanya was a guru in the 15th century who emphasized personal devotion to the god Krishna, and de-emphasized rites, worship and caste purity. His teachings, as far as I understand, are the basis of the Hare Krishna movement.)
"Jejuri" is a poem sequence, based on a trip the poet took with his brother and a friend or two to the town of Jejuri, a pilgrimage site in India. Kolatkar isn’t a religious man particularly; he’s there more as a kind of why-not tourist, and the poems juxtapose the supposedly holy with the profane in a plainspoken way. The poems are approachable; the voice is straightforward and curious. There is a good dose of humor. Most of the poems are on the short side. The longest one is three pages long, and it’s a very good one (“Ajamil and the Tigers”).
I found the book enjoyable and different and accessible. My relative ignorance about Indian gods and mythology didn’t get in the way, and the poems didn’t make a lot of presumptions on that. There are notes in the back to (superficially) identify the gods and such, which was helpful. One of my favourite poems from the book is “Chaitanya”* -
come off it
said chaitanya to a stone
in stone language
wipe that red paint off your face
i don’t think it suits you
i mean what’s wrong
with just being a plain stone
i’ll still bring you flowers
you like the flowers of zendu
don’t you
i like them too
(*Actually there are two poems in the book titled "Chaitanya." Chaitanya was a guru in the 15th century who emphasized personal devotion to the god Krishna, and de-emphasized rites, worship and caste purity. His teachings, as far as I understand, are the basis of the Hare Krishna movement.)
tansreads's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
4.75
very accessible and easy to analyze book of poetry (atleast when you’re Marathi culturally and have been to Jejuri before) - I appreciated how it took us through a narrative of a trip to Jejuri from Mumbai. Each poem connected with another and had some thought provoking observations on the culture around temples, Hindu legends, what happens when you think a little too hard about where beliefs emerge from. There were some really beautiful lines and twisting of expectations. It did feel like walking through molasses, a malaise, flaunering but deeply observational through a religious site. The introduction and notes helped a lot.
ungoliant1234's review against another edition
3.25
A distinctive and unique collection that wonderfully displays the contradictions that comprise the bilingual, urban Indian.
rilkeduino's review against another edition
3.0
ich habe eine zweisprachige ausgabe dieses gedichtbands gelesen, aber, um direkt meinen größten kritikpunkt an der deutschen ausgabe vorwegzunehmen: die übersetzung hätte man sich sparen können. die gedichte selber sind dagegen wunderbar, bleiben vordegründig auf einer saloppen, deskriptiven ebene, gewinnen aber dadurch an eigenständiger musikalität und lassen verblüffende vergleiche und analogien zu. aus einer nervigen bettlerin wird beim blick in ihre leeren augen eine verzweifelte, die auf die verzweiflung des ortes selbst verweist; ein fahrplan ist für den bahnhofsvorsteher eine heilige schrift. jejuri ist ein indischer wallfahrtsort, der außerhalb der festzeiten im verfall begriffen scheint, so erfährt man im nachwort. kolatkar blickt als kosmopolit auf diesen ureigenen ort hinduistischer kultur und indischer tradition und beleuchtet verschiedenste facetten, nähert sich ambivalent und lässt doch nie zu, dass sein stil zur spöttelei wird. die gedichte spinnen ein netz, das jejuri an den meisten stellen wunderbar einfängt und das eine derart schlechte übersetzung nicht verdient.
surabhi513's review against another edition
4.0
'as well fed tigers and fat sheep drink from the same pond, with a full stomach for a common bond'. Short poems packing a punch
wtfisapoet's review
4.0
This is probably more like a 5. I'm just an asshole, message me if you want to hear me go on and on about how much I enjoyed this. Someone please tell me how to properly say the writer's name. Alright that's enough before I get caught up and just start rambling. Already started. Fuck.
akanksha's review
5.0
These poems are refreshingly simple and fun to read. They are thought-provoking in the most constructive way: the genial humour makes the controversial stuff slide easy and yet not without appropriate notice. Kolatkar's clever use of language is amazing and he manages to make the language his own, very effortlessly too. The form reflects the content as the progression of the book takes you on a journey through the small town of Jejuri, which is at once relatable.
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