Thursday, November 7, 2013

The Stag's Leap - By Sharon Olds

The Stag's Leap is a story told in verses, traveling through phases of catharsis.
I have never been a big fan of poems, a verse here a verse there was fine anything more most often was tedious. The Stag's leap has sure been an exception.
It sure helped that there was a story being told, with some very nice lines that tug at heart, make one for a moment wish 'if i could write like that'.
Sharon Olds
The content apart what I loved most in the book was the attitude and the persona of the author shown out clear. Any relationship broken at best of times comes with a fair amount of pain and most times bitterness and anger and not to forget sadness, regret and the like coupled with the mind incessantly throwing up 'what ifs'. Here is a relationship that lasted three decades and from the sound of it,a brilliant one it was. At the end when the parting happened to record it in verses the different stages sadness, longing,the love and through it not be bitter and angry to acknowledge and state since she is the writer and his story is untold, she tries to speak for both to some extent is truly outstanding.
What stood out for me was the narrative sans venom and acrimony which is by far common place in broken relationships. I could hear myself say, if I could feel this way when I part ways (in any relationship), I would be pleased. The spirit of looking ahead and moving ahead stands out with out a doubt
A book sure worth a read, highly recommend it even to folks who have always felt 'I don't like poetry, I cant read a book of poetry' this books is a lot more, it is a story of a relationship, it is a story of two lovely human beings.

By the way the book won the : T.S.Elliot prize for poetry 2012 & the Pulitzer prize for poetry 2013

A few lines from the book


'....... everyone dies. sometimes a beloved dies and some times love.' - from 'French bra'
'.... Maybe I'm half over who he was, but not who I thought he was....' from 'bruise ghazal'
'... And love said, to me, what if I, myself asked you to love him less.....' from Red Sea'
'..... I think he loved being loved...' from 'I'd ask him for it'
'.... we have always been going back, since birth, back toward not being alive...' from 'the shore'
'.... let's part equals, as we were in every bed, pure equals of the earth' - from 'poem of thanks'
'... And it came to me, for moments at a time, moment after moment, to be glad for him that he is with the one he feels was meant for him...' - from 'September 2001,new York city'
'.... We made with each other, a moving like a kind of music :duet ;then solo, solo. we fulfilled something in each other.................... I did not leave him, he did not leave me, i freed him, he freed me.' - from 'what left?'

Links to buy the book if you so want to
paper back edition on flipkart
On Amazon - Kindle India
paper back on Amazon india

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