Book Review: this and that: a hodge podge of hülya’s…poetry, hülya n. yilmaz
Poetry: this and that: a hodge podge of hülya’s…poetry, hülya n. yilmaz
I had the privilege of attending the launch party for hülya n. yilmaz’s book this and that and listen to her read some of her poems aloud. Poetry should be read aloud, and her smooth and strong voice captured the room full of friends and supporters (and maybe a few strangers who saw there was free food and wine!). This is a lovely book of very personal and intimate poems, poems about family, about her travels, about love and faith and some of the burdens of history.
yilmaz is originally from Turkey but has made her home in State College, PA, for many years now. Recently retired from Penn State University, this is her third book of poetry. this and that is mostly in English, but some of the poems are translated on the same page into both German and Turkish.
Some of the most painful and personal works talk about family. Some of them deal with a father losing his memory to dementia, with a mother’s early absence from her life, with separation from family and living abroad away from them. Some of these are so raw that they brought tears to my eyes.
yilmaz is a fun writer, with poems about her friends the bunnies and birds that visit her backyard. She raises the question whether it is indeed “her” backyard, since the animals have been there long before humans dropped houses into the middle of “their” forest. Her poems dance and sing, traveling from her US home to various cities around the world where she has visited or lived.
Although the book has mature themes, individual poems would be excellent choices for middle and high school students. The poems that are written in three languages would be particularly valuable to high school German students (and if there are students taking Turkish), since they could see how translation differs from simply converting words from one language to another, ala Google Translate. The fact that this is done by an expert who is also the author gives this added levels of authority and authenticity.
this and that is a poignant and sometimes emotionally raw work, but also fun and beautiful with joy and humor relieving the tension between the more personal poems. I can definitely recommend hülya’s poems to anyone who appreciates honesty and passion, qualities made all the more powerful by the scholarship and intellect of their author.
Dear scintilla.admin:
Please accept my apology for this late reply. I have been on an extended road trip for close to two months this summer, throughout which my presence on electronic platforms has been spotty at best.
I am in gratitude for the extent of your review of my latest book. Thank you for reading “this and that” in your gentle, analytical and understanding manner. Reviews such as the one you have gifted me with are most precious to any writer, I do not doubt. It was a privilege to meet you during my book launch. I wish you the best in all your endeavors.
Sincerely,
It is indeed a poignant and emotional book of poetry, with humor as well as the more intimate personal poems that gives insight on Hülya’s not always easy life. A most interesting poetry read that I highly recommend.