A Daily Glance
Ana Božičević's Morning News is a well-crafted chapbook. Božičević has a good ear for English and the line, one especially good for someone who did not move to the U.S. until she was 20 (if my addition is correct). Coming from Zagreb, I wonder what her work sounds like in her native language and if she writes in it. In reading the book, I was searching for the coffee shops, for the architecture, for the people of Croatia, but I did not find any location for the pieces. The poems are present but it’s a blank presence. That's interesting to me. The chapbook makes me want to learn about Božičević’s experience becoming a poet in English.
The book has some brilliant pieces, such as "(Some Notes) Waking from Afternoon Sleep on a Warm Day in January” and “The Night Meal,” which is my favorite. “The Night Meal” seems to touch on the Balkan experience but without specific details. The second stanza sticks in my thoughts:
A face can be the ruins
of a city, stone to be traveled.
Unseen birds cry inside
a leafy organ. Slight
hands, slight eyes
journey sideways, to immobility.
The chapbook also contains a CD primarily of the poet reading with music. I enjoyed listening to it. Actually, I wish that it contained all of the pieces from the chapbook, but it does give you a sense of her voice.
Ana Božičević's Morning News is a well-crafted chapbook. Božičević has a good ear for English and the line, one especially good for someone who did not move to the U.S. until she was 20 (if my addition is correct). Coming from Zagreb, I wonder what her work sounds like in her native language and if she writes in it. In reading the book, I was searching for the coffee shops, for the architecture, for the people of Croatia, but I did not find any location for the pieces. The poems are present but it’s a blank presence. That's interesting to me. The chapbook makes me want to learn about Božičević’s experience becoming a poet in English.
The book has some brilliant pieces, such as "(Some Notes) Waking from Afternoon Sleep on a Warm Day in January” and “The Night Meal,” which is my favorite. “The Night Meal” seems to touch on the Balkan experience but without specific details. The second stanza sticks in my thoughts:
A face can be the ruins
of a city, stone to be traveled.
Unseen birds cry inside
a leafy organ. Slight
hands, slight eyes
journey sideways, to immobility.
The chapbook also contains a CD primarily of the poet reading with music. I enjoyed listening to it. Actually, I wish that it contained all of the pieces from the chapbook, but it does give you a sense of her voice.
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