There is something waiting to break out below the surface of the everyday in these poems. In “River of Sounds,” the river, literal and metaphorical, is in spate. What will its
… wrinkled bed carry on the sludge? Time and again bodies come floating down the flood.
Loss of a mother, of her gaze, dismay at her lack of love, loss of connection – the river washes up narratives, details, drowned things in a place with a name that is never pronounced and then continues on its way.
I had read and loved Krisztina Tóth’s prose, knew of her children’s books and was excited to get to know her poetry. With poet-translator George Szirtes showcasing a selection spanning five collections, you know you are in safe hands. His insightful translator’s introduction to the book provides invaluable context. Although one of Hungary’s internationally acclaimed writers, Krisztina Tóth is no longer able to live in her homeland owing to the repressive climate fostered by the government of Viktor Orbán. Tóth has been subjected to hate attacks, whipped up against her by those with power as the government effectively controls all major forms of communication. It is perhaps not surprising then to find a sense of displacement running through her work. Sorrow, frustration, rage, humour, desire follow on its heels.
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#RivetingReviews: Maria Jastrzębska reviews MY SECRET LIFE by Krisztina Tóth
