Abdellah OUKRCHET OUKRCHET itibaren Doluca Köyü, 24503 Doluca Köyü/Çayırlı/Erzincan, Türkiye itibaren Doluca Köyü, 24503 Doluca Köyü/Çayırlı/Erzincan, Türkiye

I was asked to write a review of this book, otherwise I might not have been as attentive to it. Elena Rivera has done a really fine job of translating (from the French) here: she picks up on elements of sound, of plays on words, in ways that make the poem much more resonant. I was interested in how Howald plays with patterning in order to heighten the tensions and precariousness of the implied narrative. Her use of the page is particularly effective. However, the content can sometimes be so (if you'll excuse the play on the title) breathlessly melodramatic. Is it a Gallic thing? I was torn between enjoying the author's obvious poetic intelligence and rolling my eyes at the overwrought emotionalism.