Hijra : poems / by Hala Alyan.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Alyan, Hala, 1986- author.

Series:

Crab Orchard award series in poetry

Crab Orchard series in poetry

Standardized Title:

Poems. Selections

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

American poetry--21st century.

American poetry.

Genre:

Poetry.

Physical Description:

71 pages ; 23 cm.

Place of Publication:

Carbondale : Crab Orchard Review & Southern Illinois University Press, [2016]

Summary:

"In her third poetry collection, Hijra, Hala Alyan creates poems of migration and flight reflecting and bearing witness to the haunting particulars in her transnational journey as well as those of her mother, her mother's sister, the lost aunts of her father in Gaza, and her Syrian grandmother. Alyan's interest in issues of social justice, disparity, and occupation informs her examination of the lives of women from an unnamed, war-torn village as they migrate to the West. These poems explore what it is like for them to lose their home, language, and culture as the result of political conflicts over which they have no control. The speaker contemplates how to go about learning to rebuild life in exile within a city built for others. The reader sees war, diaspora, and immigration, and hears the marginalized voices of women of color. The poems use lyrical diction and striking imagery to evoke the weight of an emotional and visceral journey. They grow and build in length and form, reflecting the gains the women in the poems make in re-creating selfhood through endurance and strength. In prose, narrative, and confessional-style poems, Alyan reflects on how physical space is refashioned, transmitted, and remembered. Her voice is distinct, fresh, relevant, and welcoming"-- Provided by publisher.

"In Islam, hijra refers to the Prophet Muhammad's departure from Mecca to Medina; the term has come to mean any exodus. Bearing witness to the testimony of immigration--not only the poet's but also that of her family--the poems in the collection create a dialogue between the two worlds of migration"-- Provided by publisher.

"In her third poetry collection, Hijra, Hala Alyan creates poems of migration and flight reflecting and bearing witness to the haunting particulars in her transnational journey as well as those of her mother, her mother's sister, the lost aunts of her father in Gaza, and her Syrian grandmother Alyan's interest in issues of social justice, disparity, and occupation informs her examination of the lives of women from an unnamed, war-torn village as they migrate to the West. These poems explore what it is like for them to lose their home, language, and culture as the result of political conflicts over which they have no control. The speaker contemplates how to go about learning to rebuild life in exile within a city built for others. The reader sees war, diaspora, and immigration, and hears the marginalized voices of women of color. The poems use lyrical diction and striking imagery to evoke the weight of an emotional and visceral journey. They grow and build in length and form, reflecting the gains the women in the poems make in re-creating selfhood through endurance and strength. In prose, narrative, and confessional-style poems, Alyan reflects on how physical space is refashioned, transmitted, and remembered. Her voice is distinct, fresh, relevant, and welcoming"-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Part 1

Before The Revolt 5

New Year 6

Aria 7

Wedding 8

Alchemy 9

The Children 10

Invasion 11

Marriage 12

Rapture in Absentia 13

The Youngest Wife 14

Hijra 15

The Prophecy 16

Part 2

Budur 19

Azra 20

Khadija 21

Seham 22

Maysam 23

Lujayn 24

Hadeel 25

Reema 26

Z Ay Nab 27

Yasmin 28

Lamis 29

Amna 30

Sana 31

Fatima 32

Afra 33

Part 3

Meals 37

Asylum 39

First Winter 40

Plumage 41

In the City of Fire 42

Idols 43

The Letter Home 44

Asking for the Daughter 45

Retrieval 46

Diaspora 47

Part 4

Foliage 51

Hamra 52

Marrow 54

Salat 55

Mania 56

Bandits 57

Scripts 58

Solarium 60

Exile Nocturne 61

Riots 63

Transatlantic 64

Chirophobia 65

Forecasting 66

Lions 67.

ISBN:

9780809335404

0809335409

OCLC:

934195394