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Notes
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Dedication: To my daughter Clea, in memoriam.
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Epigraph: ... there are no second chances in a universe which must get on with the business of living. Peter Porter, 'Talking To You Afterwards.'
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Epigraph: Those people who do not like to associate with death were soon keeping clear... Who were going about if nothing had happened. [..] So the death-shy began to flicker their eyelids up at the bereaved. They even came out and did good turns to those who absolved them from the embarrassment of sympathising. Patrick White, The Tree of Man.
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Epigraph: ...me desperté oliendo a menta sobre arena mojada y sal... Ojos de Brujo, 'Nueva Vida.' [I woke up smelling mint on wet sand and salt...]
Contents
- Preamble : The Polaroid (3 January 2003)i"Against an aseptic maternity-ward background", single work poetry (p. 9)
- On Lalomanu Beachi"Beautiful hues of surrounding green and blue,", single work poetry (p. 13)
- Sonnet #1i"Her hazel eyes hold a firm grip on him.", single work poetry (p. 14)
- Skipping on the Seashorei"She's skipping on the seashore.", single work poetry (p. 15)
- Runningi"He was running, running, running", single work poetry (p. 16)
- The Monsteri"My five-year-old told me", single work poetry (p. 17)
- The Killing Wateri"The sea arches over the reef,", single work poetry (p. 18)
- Untitledi"Six years and nine months amount not to a long life,", single work poetry (p. 19)
- The Earth Has Stolen Her from Himi"He dreamt of a kindly future in his old age=Somniava ell amb un futur acollidor a la vellesa,", Jorge Salavert (translator), single work poetry (p. 20-21)
- The Voidi"He does not speak his language", single work poetry (p. 22)
- At 45i"At forty-five years of age", single work poetry (p. 23)
- Lalomanu Sunrisei"Amid the blue,the yellow and the green,", single work poetry (p. 25)
- Red Hearts on Paperi"Mi babita, my little darling baby,", single work poetry (p. 27)
- What's in a Name?i"Her parents always thought hers was a name", single work poetry (p. 28)
- Lalomanui"A long golden strip", single work poetry (p. 31)
- The Tremori"For a whole minute", single work poetry (p. 32)
- Tsunami (1)i"The water roaring,", single work poetry (p. 33)
- Tsunami (2)i"On the horizon", single work poetry (p. 34)
- Panici"No air in his lungs,", single work poetry (p. 35)
- The Clutchi"The boy clutches on", single work poetry (p. 36)
Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of
Works about this Work
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'His Grief Is the Plague' : Poetry of Loss and the Risk of Losing One's Readers
2013
single work
criticism
— Appears in: Australian Literary Studies , November vol. 28 no. 4 2013; (p. 79-89)This article discusses the book Lalomanu, a selection of poetry by Spanish-Australian writer, Jorge Salavert, written in response to the death of his daughter Clea in the tsumani that struck Samoa just after dawn on 29 September 2009. Salavert’s poetry is an attempt to come to terms with catastrophe, personal loss and grief. The poet knows that for many, a literature of grief and pain may produce not understanding or even empathy, but a turning away. In the haiku “Unmanageable” Salavert writes: “His grief is the plague. / Pain is too raw to handle. / Silence prevails.” For some readers, this literature of grief and mourning may move them only to the extent that they keep their distance; they do not respond, or do not even read, in order to avoid being affected by this very personal pain. And yet, in its expressions of grief and mourning, Salavert’s poetry also has the potential to move readers in ways that extend far beyond the personal. The majority of the collection appears in English, but a number of the poems appear in bilingual form, either Spanish and English, or Catalan and English, and this multilingual format, I will argue, is especially important in relation to the poet’s mourning. This essay's reading of Lalomanu is organised around three central concerns: literature and mourning; mourning and language; and the social engagement resulting from a literature of mourning. [Author's abstract]
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Después de Lalomanu
2011
2011
single work
criticism
— Appears in: Hermano Cerdo 2006-; -
Mourning, Healing and Peace
2010
single work
column
— Appears in: Samoa Observer , 3 October 2010; (p. 14-15)
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Mourning, Healing and Peace
2010
single work
column
— Appears in: Samoa Observer , 3 October 2010; (p. 14-15) -
Después de Lalomanu
2011
2011
single work
criticism
— Appears in: Hermano Cerdo 2006-; -
'His Grief Is the Plague' : Poetry of Loss and the Risk of Losing One's Readers
2013
single work
criticism
— Appears in: Australian Literary Studies , November vol. 28 no. 4 2013; (p. 79-89)This article discusses the book Lalomanu, a selection of poetry by Spanish-Australian writer, Jorge Salavert, written in response to the death of his daughter Clea in the tsumani that struck Samoa just after dawn on 29 September 2009. Salavert’s poetry is an attempt to come to terms with catastrophe, personal loss and grief. The poet knows that for many, a literature of grief and pain may produce not understanding or even empathy, but a turning away. In the haiku “Unmanageable” Salavert writes: “His grief is the plague. / Pain is too raw to handle. / Silence prevails.” For some readers, this literature of grief and mourning may move them only to the extent that they keep their distance; they do not respond, or do not even read, in order to avoid being affected by this very personal pain. And yet, in its expressions of grief and mourning, Salavert’s poetry also has the potential to move readers in ways that extend far beyond the personal. The majority of the collection appears in English, but a number of the poems appear in bilingual form, either Spanish and English, or Catalan and English, and this multilingual format, I will argue, is especially important in relation to the poet’s mourning. This essay's reading of Lalomanu is organised around three central concerns: literature and mourning; mourning and language; and the social engagement resulting from a literature of mourning. [Author's abstract]