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A review by sisa_moyo
The Red Years: Forbidden Poems from Inside North Korea by Bandi
In the Red Years, Bandi presents poems that present life in the totalitarian state of North Korea and the Worker's Party, from the trials of the arduous march to state violence against its own people, hopes of reunification, the death of Kim Il-Sung and the dream of a liberated North Korea.
These are very short, beautiful poems about life in North Korea, the dreams and conflictions of those within the state. They are evocative poems that call the reader to listen to Bandi's dream of a free North Korea through themes of freedom, and birds in flight and freedom as love juxtaposed with a desolate, cold and frozen North.
The first half features more political charged poems directly critical of the regime and I found that I enjoyed these more than the last 2 chapters. While I enjoyed and understood these poems than others - overall, I think they were pretty understandable and digestible poems, not too complex.
I do feel that for most poems, in order to truly understand the metaphors for an indepth analysis and understanding of the poems, one may need to have more than a general knowledge of North Korea. For example, an understanding of the causes and effects of the ardous march, some details of Kim Il-Sung's cult of personaliity, the songbun class system and the Chollima movement. While not necessary, I think, I think it would help in better understanding and connecting to the poems as some of these crucial details are not mentioned or explained in the notes.
Overall, I really enjoyed this collection of poems.
(Also wish the notes were put as footnotes along with the respective poems instead of endnotes because being at the end of the book, one wouldn't know they're there when reading the poems. And one won't know which poems actually have notes and which don't.)
These are very short, beautiful poems about life in North Korea, the dreams and conflictions of those within the state. They are evocative poems that call the reader to listen to Bandi's dream of a free North Korea through themes of freedom, and birds in flight and freedom as love juxtaposed with a desolate, cold and frozen North.
The first half features more political charged poems directly critical of the regime and I found that I enjoyed these more than the last 2 chapters. While I enjoyed and understood these poems than others - overall, I think they were pretty understandable and digestible poems, not too complex.
I do feel that for most poems, in order to truly understand the metaphors for an indepth analysis and understanding of the poems, one may need to have more than a general knowledge of North Korea. For example, an understanding of the causes and effects of the ardous march, some details of Kim Il-Sung's cult of personaliity, the songbun class system and the Chollima movement. While not necessary, I think, I think it would help in better understanding and connecting to the poems as some of these crucial details are not mentioned or explained in the notes.
Overall, I really enjoyed this collection of poems.
(Also wish the notes were put as footnotes along with the respective poems instead of endnotes because being at the end of the book, one wouldn't know they're there when reading the poems. And one won't know which poems actually have notes and which don't.)