This month, we have once again a special category for you prepared as our next Dragon Adventure: Poetry. Featuring Metamorphosis, Abdullah Ali Khan‘s debut poetry collection. I haven’t read a lot of poetry since finishing my literature studies, but as soon as I read the preface, I knew that I was going to enjoy these poems enormously.
Metamorphosis is an extensive collection of diverse poems that all have in common that they deeply touch your soul. I was thoroughly impressed by the broad range of emotions that are explored and rendered so beautifully, so recognizable, in words. The rawness of some of these emotions is amplified by the author’s perfect command of poetic language. Furthermore, this collection addresses many important societal themes like mental health, gender, and the state of the world.
The collection is split in three parts: Truths, Tales, and Two Decades. While I loved all three parts, I think my favourite would either be part one or three. Part one is in my opinion the most complicated part, in the sense that the poetic language and form reminded me of some modernist works I read at University. I especially loved Pain, Suffering, Death, and Beauty Standards in this section.
As the title already reveals, part two explores poetic narratives that also clearly show the author’s historical knowledge. My favourite one was Et Tu Brute, which is of course a clear reference to Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar.
Part three then returns to the more typical poetic format of the poem. The language used in this section is more straightforward and the format more classical than the one used in part one. The poem Metamorphosis, is another gem and concludes the collection.
Although the poet was only 21 at the time of publication, the maturity of his voice and his poetic creativity is astonishing. I have no doubt that we’ll hear much more from him!
Do you want to discover more?
If my review inspired you to pick up the book, don’t hesitate to check it out at Goodreads or at the below online stores. If you decide to buy it via one of the following links, I will receive a small percentage at no extra charge for you!
Amazon.nl: eBook edition