Cover Image: When The Night Agrees To Speak To Me

When The Night Agrees To Speak To Me

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Member Reviews

These poems were really raw. I usually find myself zoning out or getting list with some poetry but that wasn't the case with Devi's work.

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with an ARC.

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This was a beautifully written collection. I really enjoyed the poems. I also thought the language and emotional impact translated beautifully from French. I will be purchasing this for my shelves.

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"Poetry is our vein a door without it words die a slow death."

I'm firm believer of — Something is lost in translation. I guess that's what happened with when the night agrees to speak to me, Not at fault of author or translator. It is just how it is. These set of poems did not impress me as they should have.

I picked it because I have heard about Ananda Devi, she is an Mauritian Indian who predominantly writes in French, since about 4 decades. Her poems are different from the usual stuff I have read so definitely good but I could not engage with them as I hoped to.


Some of my favourite lines

"The bolts are broken

The door swings open

Forever impossible

That first step outside of myself."

I liked 4 liners better than long poems, Except when night agrees to speak to me which is my favourite.

Thank you Netgalley and Harper Collins publisher India for ARC in exchange of an honest review.

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A mixture of poems and prose. Having really enjoyed Eve Out of Her Ruins, I had high expectations from this book.
Wasn't all bad but I'm a bit let down nonetheless.

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When The Night Agrees To Speak To Me is a collection of poetry and prose, written in French by Ananda Devi and translated into English by Kazim Ali. Ali's translation undoubtedly captures Devi's voice and it was a pleasure to read more about Ali's process as well as his interview with Devi at the end of this collection.

The first half of the collection (the poems) were hit or miss for me - with a mixture of striking imagery and cliched lines. Devi is talented as is Ali but I struggled with the rise and fall of these poems, how repetitive some felt, and how some simply lacked memorability. The second half (the prose) was far more enjoyable - more abstract in nature, Devi's prose is unique and visceral. It is here, I'm sure, that Ali's translation really does Devi's work justice too.

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I really loved this collection, and the interview at the end was so insightful. As someone who only knows one language, hearing a trilingual creative talk about their relationship with language was thought-provoking and touching.

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As a lover of translated literature, I was so excited to read this book. The theme of the book is unique and interesting. There are poems that I loved and felt connected with. But overall, it didn't leave much impact. I was unable to connect with most of the poems and it didn't resonated with me. I was unable to finish the book. Maybe I'll revisit it again in the future and be able to grasp the meaning.

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Thank you to #Netgalley and #HarperCollins publishers (India) for this arc of #Whenthenightagreestospeaktome for an honest review.

This short, autobiographical volume of poetry certainly packs a hefty punch. It is published with the original French poem and followed by the English translation, by Kazim Ali. Devi adeptly rages against politics, aging, our identity and sexuality. My favourite poems were Skin and the titular poem.

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I love how raw and angry some of the poem in this book, and so political. But I think I enjoyed more the interview of Ananda Devi on the last part of the book than the poems. But still, love this book.

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This collection of poems is provided in the original French and then the translated English, which I think would be helpful to someone who can read both languages. I know the translator worked closely with the author, but sometimes I have a harder time connecting to poetry that has been translated as I feel the intricacy can get lost.

These poems touch on a lot of dark concepts, but I liked the variety in length and tone within each poem. I particularly connected to 13 and Skin, the latter touching on the way our bodies are viewed based on what our skin “does.” Overall, I am glad to have read these poems but definitely recommend checking any trigger warnings before reading.

Thank you to NetGalley for a free e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

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Ein wunderschöner Gedichtband, der zum nachdenken und innehalten Anregt. Nichts was man in einem durchlesen kann... eher zum teilen diskutieren und fühlen :)

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I read this book in one sitting and I had so much feelings aboutnit. at some point this book is so relatable to my reality which made want to turn the page quickly. highly recommended!!

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This is a heart wrenching, beautiful poetry collection that captured me entirely but did not leave a lasting impression. I loved that the original French was shown with the English translation. I highly recommend it for a rainy afternoon with a cup of tea and a cozy blanket. It does give Paris park bench vibes, too.

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The shorter poems were definitely my favourite ones, that said I think as a whole this collection just wasn’t really for me. I didn’t quite connect to it.
Having it alternate between the French and English translations was a bit annoying for me reading the ebook. I don’t know French at all and while this could be good for someone who wants to learn French, for me it was just a hindrance to my enjoyment overall.

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"When the night agrees to speak to me
It is with its back turned
Because neither tree nor sapling
Grows from my smooth skin
I haven't suffered enough
Nor laughed well nor loved enough
It will not be content with just a little"

A short poetry collection translated by the French, touching on themes of loneliness and growth. My favorite poems were #13 and #25.

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I have been on a poetry binge for awhile now, and one thing I've learned is poetry is very subjective. You may connect with a poet in one book, and feel completely different in another. In this bilingual poetry collection I found myself moved and captivated by Devi's language. Ali does an excellent job translating, and I felt compelled to go back and reread several of her poems again. Her prose section failed to captivate me as much, but I was still intrigued to carry on, and read the P. S. Section. I found the story of how this book came to be translated to be completely fascinating, and applaud Ali for such stellar work.

I would recommend this book to anyone looking for an enticing collection of poetry. While not the same at all, I was reminded of how I felt reading Rupi Kaur's Milk and Honey for the first time.

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Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins Publishers India for letting me read this book for free.

The poems in this collection are full of metaphors and language that I didn’t personally relate to all that much, and the poems didn’t really invoke feelings in me like other collections I have read. It wasn’t a bad collection by any means, just not my cup of tea most of the time. Of the 120 pages, there are poems on about 80, and about halfway it switches from short poems to longer paragraphs. Also, as I can only read the English translation, I only read every other page, so only about 40 in total. It’s a quick read for sure, and if you like your poetry more abstract, I’m sure you’d enjoy this book!

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I enjoy reading poetry and am always trying to discover new writers. I was interested in this title because I speak both English and French. Translating is an art in and of itself and I enjoyed having both the original French and the English included in this book. My favorite poem is the first one that appears in the book. This book also has some prose in it, but I preferred the poetry sections. I really enjoyed reading the author interview towards the end. I love language, and knowing how to speak multiple languages, I was interested in reading about the translation process as well as the discussion of which languages the author prefers to write in and why. Overall, this was an enlightening read.

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The poems were emotional, some were relatable and some were kinda sexy. I enjoyed the original language before the translations.
I received a copy via NetGalley and all opinions are my own.

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The collection in this poetry book were all invoking. I did enjoy quite a number of the collection here.

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