Dear readers, as you know, from January this year, left, right ‘thoda sa’ center has begun accepting books and independent pieces of writing for review. This has come out of suffering…. as writers/authors we ourselves sharply feel the lack of platforms that give talented writers a free, positive and unbiased review of their writing. So we have decided to provide a remedy. Hence, all you talented writers out there, look no further. Our inbox at left.right.tcenter@gmail.com awaits your literary creations.…and who knows, with a fair review and little bit of luck, this might be where your literary dreams turn to reality.
To suit our word to action, as part of our January post, we reviewed “Quarantine Hopes” written by our guest poet, Ms Satabdi Banerjee. The review found favour with readers (and Satabdi), and so for this post, we elected to review her anthology of verses, “A Sip of Coffee” published in 2018.
Over to “A Sip of Coffee.”
Context:
Elaborating on the rather unusual choice of name for a book that is essentially a set of poems, Satabdi says, “We enjoy all forms of coffee tastes; some flavors always seem right for the perfect mood of the moment while some aromas get us nostalgic. So, sit back cozy with your sip of custom-made coffee as you relish its grains blending in with the words and caffeine aroma.”
The poems themselves
are referred to as, “Some pensive, some
emotional, some haunting thoughts which are like residents of our inner world,
enlivened by a little creative space and various shades of affection blending to
weave tales of love, enchantment and bereavement.”
She has a simple, direct, easy-to-read style of writing, with most of the poems written in blank verse, not adhering to any conformed rhythm patterns. Her style enhances the random musing-like quality of the poetry, allowing the reader to mould their own thoughts to her words. Thus the poems lend themselves to personal interpretations with great ease, the simple lines often carrying the reader along, imbued with a feeling that they are expressions of his/her own life’s experiences.
As my
eyes gallop from the old to the new,
Travelling
over the ages;
Changes
are constant,
Permanences
are few!
(From 'Change Witnessed')
The collection
is quite eclectic, with a profusion of themes randomly
put together. While some such as To a Friend with Love, Red Love, Bonded
Souls, Psychic Confluence, Soul mate, Unity in Change speak of relationships
at various stages, others such as Nicotine Thoughts, Scribbled Thoughts speak
of pleasurable addictions and haphazard jottings that are at a random personal
level contrasted with those at a more serious personal level, such as Slumber
Haunts, Mind Pigeon, Muse, Strange Play, No Prayer goes
Unanswered, Enlightenment; Ma, an Emotion; Me, a Nobody. There are yet others such
as Survival, Aspiration, Refuge, Virtual Reality that refer to wider
human conditions in general.
My pain is invisible,
My pain doesn’t show.
My pain is like camphor,
A delusion nowhere to go.
I see me dying,
I see me burn,
I see me arise,
I see me shine.
(From 'Enlightenment')
As there are 50 poems in all, the thematic confusion does pull the reader in different directions sometimes. It does, however, appear to be intentional, and in keeping with the book's theme of presenting a medley of thoughts plucked out of the breadth of human awareness and consciousness. Some readers may find this appealing in itself.
I face my strangers,
I call out their name,
They seem to know me,
They remind me of my flame.
I draw my cues, of a purpose I assume
(From 'Strange Play')
Some attentive proofreading would have helped eliminate grammatical errors.
The book is the poet’s first attempt at publishing her writing. There is no doubt
that she is a writer of merit. More experience
at putting together her material, guided by readers’ choice, would take her a
long way. We recommend this book to those who wish to taste the variety inherent in daily life, and the myriad spectrum latent within the inner recesses of all our minds, which we often miss.
I wish to be your desire,
Than remain a need,
Am stitching my agonies thereafter,
As I sow will I reap.
(From 'Me a Nobody')
“A Sip of Coffee” ©Satabdi Banerjee was published by Literoma Publishing Services in 2018
So what did
you think of the review? We would love to hear from you in the comment section.
And as always, do remember to share, follow and subscribe!
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