Customer Reviews

The Country without a Post Office: Poems (Agha Shahid Ali)

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

 

 

i stumbled upon this by accident and will never forget it. without a doubt, my all-time favorite book of poetry.

Agah Shahid, having come from the unfortunate valley, a living hell for its inhabitants and indeed a paradise on earth has chosen the most appropriate title. Today what Kashmir needs is indeed a post office, a post office which would open and facilitate dialogue. It indeed comes as a relief to hear about Kashmir and all that it stands for and not violence and death these days. One can only wish there were more Shahids from Kashmir who could lend there voice for Kashmir. Agah brings out the essence of Kashmir in his work. A must for anyone who is interested in Kashmir.

Kashmir is truly a paradise on earth. It's called Switzerland within India. Kashmir needs peace. I happened to be in Houston when Mr. Shahid Ali an Indian American poet with roots in Kashmir, India read his poems at the Brown Auditorium in the Houston culture district.

Its sad to see Kashmiri people (Kashmiri Pandits and Muslims ) being refugees in their own country. Pakistan should stop this proxy war and stop infiltrating extemists trained in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Shahid said " We artsy folks derive pure pleasure from simply shocking the audience. Lord Byron did it, Oscar Wilde did it and the master manipulator Shakespeare set the standards. What was clear in Shahid's manner was his complete arrogance and lack of respect for the audience intermingled with humility that would take the time to come. says Minoo Shah. His readings were spiced with humorous anecdotes.

This is a rather touching book about Kashmir.I feel it is very good and srtongly recommend it as something to read occaisonaly when you are feeling liberal

How can a country have no post office? The idea is so far off I cant believe anyone would write a book about it. And the poems? They're really boring, full of hard to pronounce words and I think lots of forms. I asked a friend of mine she writes poems and posts them on AOL about the title and she said it was a metaphor, but I still think its a bad idea to call a book after somethingpeople won't understand. My friend didn't understand the forms either.

Its a pretty book, though, with nice paper. Looks good on the shelf. All in all, I'm glad this book was a gift, I sure would hate to buy it with my own money.