Customer Reviews

An Audience of One

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is an excellent collection of poems. Majid beautfiully captures spirituality for both Muslims and non-Muslims. I strongly encourage everyone to read and learn from this.

This is not just a collection of random poems but rather a masterpiece of beautifully written sonnet-style reflections with an underlying theme that will really touch you no matter your background. I had no idea what a "ghazal" was before I read this and the author does a great job of introducing you to the genre and all of its subtleties which you will really pick up on as you are reading which helps you appreciate it that much more.

This is definitely worth the read if you are interested in expanding your cultural horizons through a contemporary eye and experiencing a different style of reflection and thought, that of "emotion recollected in tranquility." Not to mention the simple yet effective illustrations really help set the tone and mood. Just be careful of reading this on the train because you might get so engrossed that you miss your stop as did happen to me!!!

I bought this book because I like Rumi and Hafiz and was surprised enough that i bought another for one of my professors. I thought a number of the poems were short but very deep, and because they are not translations but originals, they retain their cadence and rhyme scheme. The glossary in the back for unfamiliar terms was especially helpful, because sometimes I'm not sure what the references were to at first, but they begin to make sense once you read them. I sense the poet meant more than i could imagine. It would be nice to ask him.

I was really impressed with the quality of production of this book. The kind of poetry here, ghazals in English, is a neat twist on a famous Indian poetry genre. And it works! But you need to read and re-read the poems carefully, because they are packed with meaning, and are interwoven and linked. And the illustrations reflect the poems well! I really recommend buying this book--it makes a good gift book for friends, especially on the coffeetable...

To those of us who have enjoyed classical ghazals like those written by Iqbal or more modern film ghazals by the likes of Lata Mangeshkar or Talat Mahmood, this couplet form of poetry, in whatever language, holds a rhythm and a set of Muslim themes with universal appeal. Still, there is something special about the turn of the Urdu (or any foreign language) that gets lost in translation. All the more reason to innovate a project like this one that adapts the ghazal form to a language that we understand well with classical, spiritual themes reminiscent of Omar Khayyam and Rumi.

"Audience of One" is an original collection of poems that stays true to the structure of the classical ghazal but in a language, as English speakers, that we understand well, with the subtleties and nuances adding layers of meaning that previously could only be fully appreciated in the Urdu (or Persian, etc.) form by those seasoned in those languages. The influence of American and English writers is also not lost on these poems; in the poem entitled "Asr" a rhyme pattern made popular by Edgar Allen Poe is apparent.

The result is the passion of a Sufi, the elegance and consistency of couplet, and the weighty tones and cadence of modern American English balancing and converging toward a speech of devotion. I really enjoyed this book!

As the son of Indo/Pakistani immigrants with a basic knowledge of Urdu, I would often hear my parents recite ghazals from the masters and was always moved, not just by the words, but by the way they were recited. A good ghazzal has a way of warning you, inspiring you and sharing ultimate truths all within a few couplets, and this is made all the more meaningful when read aloud. When I opened up An Audience of One, I just assumed that the ghazzals were translations of classics and began reading them aloud and enjoying them. When I later realized that they were written by a Pakistani-American like myself, I was really impressed. I encourage readers to share them in a group and when reading aloud to emphasize the rhyming word.

I look forward to more work from this author.

I picked up this book based on a recommendation from a close friend of mine and was pleasantly suprised at the spiritually moving collection of poems. As an English Lit major I never had the opportunity to explore Sufism and mystic poetry in detail. The author has really given a refreshing and contemporary twist to the art of ghazals while still following and exhibiting a deep understanding of its traditional roots. I recommend this book to anyone who has an appreciation for world literature. Cheers!

Stimulates spirituality and acknowledges our own unimportance.
A true treasure and a healthy antidote to the self-centeredness so very prevalent today.
Efforts of the author have truly made a difference in helping us appreciate the time and his good intentions.
A true gem.

This book is an excellent introduction to the ghazal as a literary form, for those of us whose primary language is English. It is also simply a beautiful and inspiring series of spiritual poems...very moving. I think it will appeal to anyone who appreciates poetry and is willing to take the time to find unfamiliar words in the glossary at the end of the book.