Customer Reviews

ZaatarDiva

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"Having traveled the world via her poetry, Brooklyn-raised and Tony-Award winning poet Suheir Hammad has published the long-awaited follow-up to her 1996 collections, Born Palestinian, Born Black and Drops of This Story (Harlem River Press). In the minimalist ZaatarDiva, a deeply spiritual and maternal Hammad wastes not a single word in tightly wrapped flower bud poems that blossom in the reader's mind, where her words give voice to unconscious thought. With roots as a spoken-word poet, Hammad's use of popular language to de-scribe and connect complex subjects and express the intimate can only be described as genius. Strong in her weakness, her raw intimacy defeats armies. The endless love that provides the backbone for Hammad's work transcends and eclipses simple politics to pure and beautiful revolution."
--From the Washington Report on Middle East Affairs, April 2006 Issue.

What a great decision I made when I bought a dozen copies of this book when it first came out, since it's first edition sold out not long after it was released. I have given them all away, and find I still want more copies to share. The deep political and philosophical understandings of the ever-talented Ms. Hammad, woven beautifully together into these passionate poems, motivate the reader to no end. Her compassion and insight are matched with her gift for lyric, in style that is fondly at home with the griots Nikki Giovanni, Audre Lorde, Helene Cixcous, Sapphire, Gil Scott-Heron, Nawal el Sdadawi, Michael Franti, Dead Prez, and anyone who has suffered long enough to know the difference between living and fighting to live.

As per the title you can probably tell I haven't yet read ZataarDiva. My only experience with Suheir Hammad is from the inspirational HBO series Def Poetry.

I know Suheir's voice. It commands me to listen. Never mind owning the stage, she owns the whole damn building. Powerful, beautiful, emotional and moving are words that, to me, describe both Ms. Hammad AND her poetry. She's so talented she makes me want to not only write more, but write better.

This book cannot get here soon enough.

k.

Suheir Hammad is the most brilliant poet of our time, and this is one of her most crucial books. If possible, get the version of this book with the CD.