Reviews

Modern Sudanese Poetry: An Anthology by Adil Babikir

toria's review against another edition

5.0

This book was an interesting read and had some fairly good poems. But, none of the poems were memorable.

kleonard's review against another edition

4.0

This is a much-needed book, as there is almost no other Sudanese poetry in English translation on the market. While the introduction is repetitive and the translations often awkward, the poems are nonetheless striking and urgent. I was especially struck by the sense of mortality and the horrors of the recent civil war in Sudan and the ways in which many of the poets navigated this trauma through a combination of direct address and metaphor using nature imagery. I recommend this to casual readers of poetry in addition to scholars and those interested in the land and its people.