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aameem's review
5.0
When I flew to Kashmir this winter, I made it a point to learn more about the region. My first encounter with Kashmir was at the age of 10, when I visited the Pakistan side with my father, Azad Kashmir. Now, at 28, I had the opportunity to visit from the India side, Jammu and Kashmir. Armed with only a faint awareness of its history and politics (neither of which have held much appeal for me as avenues of comprehension) I turned to literature instead: non-fiction with '[b:Territory of Desire: Representing the Valley of Kashmir|5481765|Territory of Desire Representing the Valley of Kashmir|Ananya Jahanara Kabir|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1348022492l/5481765._SX50_.jpg|5549406],' fiction with '[b:Haroun and the Sea of Stories|4835|Haroun and the Sea of Stories (Khalifa Brothers, #1)|Salman Rushdie|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1419913148l/4835._SX50_.jpg|1934157],' and the space in between with 'The Country Without A Post Office.' As I walked through the snow of Pahalgam and Gulmarg, was rowed across Dal Lake in Srinagar, Agha Shahid Ali's deliberately fragmented imagery of cracked portraits, flickering oil lamps, the saffron hue of the sun, and the picture-perfect yet hauntingly distant half-inch Himalayas, captured within a postcard from Kashmir, starkly contrasted with the stark reality of 'blood sheer rubies on Himalayan snow' unfolded Kashmir before me, weaving together beauty and brutality in a manner that was inescapable. I'm grateful to have found his poetry, as it has permanently shaped how I see Kashmir.
pranreadsalot's review
4.0
Such a brilliant collection. This kind of poetry isn't something I can just wing through. It requires very careful reading, but it's totally worth it. Read it if you like queer reading (Shahid was rumoured to be gay) and if you want a perspective on the atrocities committed on Kashmir.
pravallika_manju's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.0
rhodas's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
zapzap's review
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
My search for a poetry collection that would deeply resonate with me and make me want to write my own poems has finally ended because damn did this collection make me weep and think.
notesofacrocodile's review
5.0
// "My history gets in the way of your memory"
adored this one. 'the country without a post office', 'city of daughters' and 'ghazal' were my favourite pieces.
adored this one. 'the country without a post office', 'city of daughters' and 'ghazal' were my favourite pieces.