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4.03 AVERAGE
4.03 AVERAGE
I enjoyed Jejuri more than most poetry I have read. The book satisfactorily accomplishes the interweaving the divine and mundane. "Ajamil and the Tigers" was a highlight.
funny
reflective
"God is the word
and I know it backwards.
I know it as fangs
inside my flanks.
But I also know it
as a lamb
between my teeth,
as a taste of blood
upon my tongue.
And this is the only song
I've always sung."
Banger book ॐ Also shoutout to Amit Chaudhuri... I wasn't familiar with your game. Didn't think much of the novella by him that I read a couple years ago but his introduction to this book was great so I'll have to give him another chance.
and I know it backwards.
I know it as fangs
inside my flanks.
But I also know it
as a lamb
between my teeth,
as a taste of blood
upon my tongue.
And this is the only song
I've always sung."
Banger book ॐ Also shoutout to Amit Chaudhuri... I wasn't familiar with your game. Didn't think much of the novella by him that I read a couple years ago but his introduction to this book was great so I'll have to give him another chance.
reflective
the poems are excellent and help transport you to a place I've never been to.
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.)
adventurous
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
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.
A distinctive and unique collection that wonderfully displays the contradictions that comprise the bilingual, urban Indian.
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.
reflective
relaxing
reflective
'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