Valzhyna Mort's Collected Body: A Symphony of Loss, Memory, and Resilience

Valzhyna Mort is a Belarusian poet and writer whose work explores themes of loss, memory, and resilience.

Collected Body

by Valzhyna Mort

5 out of 5

Language	:	English
File size	:	842 KB
Text-to-Speech	:	Enabled
Screen Reader	:	Supported
Enhanced typesetting	:	Enabled
Print length	:	110 pages
X-Ray for textbooks	:	Enabled

FREE

Her 2022 collection, Collected Body, is a powerful and moving exploration of the ways in which we carry our past with us, both in our bodies and our minds.

Mort's poems are lyrical and evocative, and they draw on a wide range of sources, including folklore, mythology, and personal experience.

Through her poetry, she examines the ways in which our bodies are marked by trauma, loss, and survival.

Themes

Loss

Collected Body is a collection that is deeply concerned with loss.

Mort's poems explore the ways in which we grieve for the people we have lost, the places we have left behind, and the parts of ourselves that we have had to give up.

In the poem "The House of Mourning," she writes:

I have come to the house of mourning.

The door is open, the windows are dark.

I enter, and I am greeted by silence.

The only sound is the ticking of the clock.

Mort's poems about loss are both heartbreaking and honest.

They capture the pain and sorrow of losing someone or something that we love, but they also offer a sense of hope and resilience.

Memory

Memory is another central theme in Collected Body.

Mort's poems explore the ways in which we remember the past, both the good and the bad.

In the poem "Memory," she writes:

Memory is a strange thing.

It can come and go, like a ghost.

It can be a comfort, or a torment.

It can be a way to heal, or a way to wound.

Mort's poems about memory are often complex and contradictory.

They reflect the ways in which our memories can be both a source of pain and a source of strength.

Resilience

Despite the many challenging themes that it explores, Collected Body is also a collection about resilience.

Mort's poems celebrate the ways in which we can overcome adversity and find strength in the face of loss.

In the poem "Resilience," she writes:

I am a survivor.

I have survived loss, trauma, and pain.

I have emerged from the darkness, stronger than before.

I am a warrior.

Mort's poems about resilience are inspiring and empowering.

They remind us that even in the darkest of times, we can find the strength to carry on.

Form and Style

Mort's poetry is characterized by its lyricism and evocative imagery.

She uses language in a way that is both precise and poetic, and her poems are often filled with rich metaphors and similes.

In the poem "The Body," she writes:

My body is a map of my life.

The scars are the roads I have traveled.

The bruises are the battles I have fought.

The wrinkles are the laughter and tears I have shared.

Mort's poems are also notable for their use of form.

She often uses free verse, but she also experiments with more traditional forms, such as the sonnet and the villanelle.

In the poem "Villanelle of the Body," she writes:

My body is a house, a temple, a tomb.

It is a vessel for my soul, a cage for my mind.

It is a source of pain, a source of pleasure.

My body is a house, a temple, a tomb.

It is a battlefield, a sanctuary, a prison.

It is a source of strength, a source of weakness.

My body is a house, a temple, a tomb.

It is a place where I live, where I love, where I die.

Mort's use of form helps to create a sense of rhythm and structure in her poems.

It also allows her to explore different aspects of her themes in a more nuanced and complex way.

Critical Reception

Collected Body has been met with critical acclaim.

Critics have praised Mort's lyricism, her evocative imagery, and her exploration of challenging themes.

In a review for The New York Times, critic Parul Sehgal wrote:

"Mort's poems are a testament to the power of poetry to heal, to comfort, and to inspire."

In a review for The Guardian, critic Claire Armitstead wrote:

"Mort's poetry is a powerful and moving exploration of the human condition."

Collected Body is a major work by one of the most important poets writing today.

It is a collection that is both deeply personal and universally resonant.

Mort's poems explore the complexities of loss, memory, and resilience, and they offer a profound and moving meditation on the human experience.

Further Reading

• The Poetry Foundation: Valzhyna Mort
• The New Yorker: The Poems of Valzhyna Mort Are a Testament to Endurance
• The Guardian: Collected Body by Valzhyna Mort review – a lyrical exploration of loss and survival

Collected Body

by Valzhyna Mort

5 out of 5

Language	:	English
File size	:	842 KB
Text-to-Speech	:	Enabled
Screen Reader	:	Supported
Enhanced typesetting	:	Enabled
Print length	:	110 pages
X-Ray for textbooks	:	Enabled

FREE