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4.29 AVERAGE
4.29 AVERAGE
Passes the Emily Dickinson test with flying colors.
My faves - Exciting the Canvas and Everything that Moves is Alive and a Threat - A Reminder
dark
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
Lots of beautiful imagery! Some of the poems didn’t connect with me but idk what good poetry is and only have a basic understanding of the religious references.
Favourite poems were: ‘some boys aren’t born they bubble’, ‘unburnable the cold is flooding’, and ‘against hell’.
Favourite poems were: ‘some boys aren’t born they bubble’, ‘unburnable the cold is flooding’, and ‘against hell’.
challenging
dark
emotional
fast-paced
“just say yes and step into the consequence.”
A beautiful book.
A beautiful book.
medium-paced
4 stars
It lagged a bit towards the end, but overall this was a very engaging collection. Akbar's poems are dreamy without dwelling too much in abstraction. I appreciated the vivid imagery and the subtle lyricism. I particularly loved the poems where he incorporated examples of nature and the joy of discovery. Akbar writes very poignantly about spirituality.
Favorite poems:
"Soot"
"Calling a Wolf a Wolf (Inpatient)"
"Stop Me If You've Heard This One Before"
"Portrait of the Alcoholic with Withdrawal"
"Portrait of the Alcoholic with Doubt and Kingfisher"
"Desunt Nonnulla"
"Learning to Pray"
"Portrait of the Alcoholic Three Weeks Sober"
"Exciting the Canvas"
"What Seems Like Joy"
"Portrait of the Alcoholic with Moths and River"
"Against Hell"
"Neither Now nor Never"
"God"
"Personal Inventory: Fearless (Temporis Fila)"
"So Often the Body Becomes a Distraction"
I would also recommend his "Divedapper" interviews of other poets.
On a petty note, I hate the cover. Why do so many poetry books have such awful covers? I don't get it.
It lagged a bit towards the end, but overall this was a very engaging collection. Akbar's poems are dreamy without dwelling too much in abstraction. I appreciated the vivid imagery and the subtle lyricism. I particularly loved the poems where he incorporated examples of nature and the joy of discovery. Akbar writes very poignantly about spirituality.
Favorite poems:
"Soot"
"Calling a Wolf a Wolf (Inpatient)"
"Stop Me If You've Heard This One Before"
"Portrait of the Alcoholic with Withdrawal"
"Portrait of the Alcoholic with Doubt and Kingfisher"
"Desunt Nonnulla"
"Learning to Pray"
"Portrait of the Alcoholic Three Weeks Sober"
"Exciting the Canvas"
"What Seems Like Joy"
"Portrait of the Alcoholic with Moths and River"
"Against Hell"
"Neither Now nor Never"
"God"
"Personal Inventory: Fearless (Temporis Fila)"
"So Often the Body Becomes a Distraction"
I would also recommend his "Divedapper" interviews of other poets.
On a petty note, I hate the cover. Why do so many poetry books have such awful covers? I don't get it.
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
"Calling a Wolf a Wolf" by Kaveh Akbar is a deeply personal exploration of addiction, recovery, and the search for meaning in the midst of existential emptiness. Through a series of confessional poems, Akbar delves into the profound isolation and surrealism experienced during his struggle with addiction, offering a raw and unflinching portrayal of his journey towards sobriety.
The collection is structured to reflect the transformation from addiction to recovery, with Akbar skillfully conveying the allure and agony of substance abuse, as well as the challenging process of self-persuasion to break free from its grip. Through deft language and vivid imagery, he captures the disorienting effects of addiction and the profound loneliness it engenders.
Akbar's poetry is both introspective and expansive, touching on themes of spirituality, mortality, and the human condition. He navigates the complexities of addiction with empathy and honesty, offering a nuanced portrayal of its psychological and emotional toll. Each poem in the collection serves as a fragment of his larger narrative, highlighting the struggles and triumphs along the path to recovery.
One of the standout features of Akbar's poetry is his ability to blend the personal with the universal, infusing his words with a sense of shared humanity. While the collection is deeply rooted in his own experiences, it also speaks to larger themes of longing, redemption, and the search for meaning in a chaotic world.
Akbar's poetic style is both sumptuous and surreal, with vivid imagery and evocative language that linger long after the poem has ended. He weaves together disparate elements—from Farsi phrases to unconventional punctuation—to create a rich tapestry of words that captivates the reader's imagination.
"Calling a Wolf a Wolf" is not just a collection of poems; it's a testament to the power of language to confront and transcend the darkest aspects of the human experience. Through his unflinching honesty and lyrical prowess, Kaveh Akbar invites readers into his world, challenging them to grapple with their own demons and find hope in the possibility of redemption.
In conclusion, "Calling a Wolf a Wolf" is a stunning debut collection that showcases Kaveh Akbar's talent as a poet and his ability to explore the complexities of addiction and recovery with grace and insight. It's a book that demands to be read, pondered, and savored, leaving an indelible mark on the reader long after the final page has been turned.
📖 Recommended For: Readers in Substance Abuse Recovery, Mental Health Advocates, Harm Reduction Practitioners, Confessional Poetry Fans.
🔑 Key Themes: Addiction and Recovery, Existentialism, Spiritual Hunger, Identity Transformation, Loneliness, Redemption, Self-Reflection, Finding Meaning in Chaos.
📖 Recommended For: Readers in Substance Abuse Recovery, Mental Health Advocates, Harm Reduction Practitioners, Confessional Poetry Fans.
🔑 Key Themes: Addiction and Recovery, Existentialism, Spiritual Hunger, Identity Transformation, Loneliness, Redemption, Self-Reflection, Finding Meaning in Chaos.
Body horror and self-loathing, solitude and wistfulness. I didn’t exactly enjoy this collection, but found many of the lines striking and the imagery intensely evocative. The poet and I are very different people and it was interesting if not exactly fun to sit in his headspace for a while.