RaveThe Los Angeles Review of Books... exquisitely translated ... English language readers gain an elegantly curated introduction to the work of Palestinian poet Maya Abu Al-Hayyat. Abu Al-Hayyat is a versatile writer, with three novels and four poetry collections to her name. Selections from each of those collections are arranged chronologically in this book, giving us a clear sense of the poet’s development over time, as well as of the consistency of her vision ... Despite her belief in art \'as reparation for love and wisdom,\' Abu Al-Hayyat’s poems remain firmly planted in the realities of a colonized homeland ... Abu Al-Hayyat’s best poems write about loss in multiple valences, the brutality of colonialism animates the scene but the violence of repetition, the daily heartbreaks inherent in a long-term practice of hope propel each line and attune the poet to unexpected sites of wonder ... Abu Al-Hayyat’s best poems write about loss in multiple valences, the brutality of colonialism animates the scene but the violence of repetition, the daily heartbreaks inherent in a long-term practice of hope propel each line and attune the poet to unexpected sites of wonder ... Abu Al-Hayyat’s disappointments and critiques are matched by her poetry’s tenderness, and its compassion for all of the struggling humans around her who fall short of the legends they make.
