Antonia Reviews: Books for comfort

This is normally the start of my favourite time of year. Warm drinks, festive parties and reading by the fire. As it looks like I will not be doing my ‘normal’ winter routine, i.e. going to London to see the Christmas lights, having my friends’ round for a Halloween party and drinking mulled wine on an ice rink, I am turning to books to escape into.

Poetry is good for the soul.

I had seen Helena Bonham Carter had been reading through lockdown from ‘The Poetry Pharmacy’ by Willian Sieghart so I decided to pick up a copy to read myself. The poems are perfect for not only when you feel down but also when you need a bit of motivation or self-confidence. A short poem ‘My Brilliant Image’ by Hafez has a great impact on reminding you how amazing you are even when you are alone. Thinking by Walter D Wintle is longer and can help you when you feel defeated or discouraged. I would definitely recommend this edition as a gift or for yourself if struggling with loss, anxiety, or in need of motivation. Every poem is a little prescription for the heart, mind, and soul.

I also started to read Nobel prize for Literature winner for 2020 Louise Gluck.  I really resonated with the poem ‘October’ as I read the poem the nights had been getting dark, the days rainier and the feel of Autumn was on the doorstep. I feel her poems are a great way of getting into nature without leaving your seat by the fire.

Translations, always double-check!

I decided to get back into some translation novels this month and I picked up ‘Braised Pork’ by An Yu. However, this book is not a translation book (as I later found out) An Yu despite being born and raised in Beijing, writes in perfect English. The story follows Jia Jia who discovers her husband has committed suicide, leaving her to get on with her life. An odd drawing her husband left behind haunts her as she sets about moving on. But she can now wear what she wants, drink what she wants, and rediscover her love of painting. This story is interesting as you get to learn about city life in Beijing and Chinese culture.

Back to true translation works I read ‘Fireflies’ by Luis Sagasti (Translated by Fionn Petch). It is a wonderful tale that weaves together an array of real (and a few made up) people and their stories throughout history. The book has a wonderful flow which to me feels as if it is written as an orchestra, following the sway of a musical rhythm. This style is continued into another of his work ‘A Musical Offering’. This story similarly takes different historical narratives and weaves them into one stream of thought. One harrowing chapter follows the story of a singer in a concentration camp who would be given bread by fellow campmates so that he would have the strength to sing for them. As he sang his voice would be recognised around the camp and would give a sense of hope amongst the prisoners. When reading this scene, I started to cry as the sheer emotion I felt is the same I had when watching the film ‘The Pianist’ where *SPOILER* the soldier gives him his coat and some food. Human kindness is the truest form of beauty and these stories are beautiful. I am very grateful to Charco Press for publishing them. I would recommend both these books to escape into the realms of history and music.