World

WorldAna Lusa Amarals second collection with New Directionsoffers a new exhilarating set of poems that convey wonder, bemusement and an ever-deepening appreciation of life. Weaving the thread that connects the poem to life, World speaks of our immense human perplexity in the face of everything around us and our oneness with it all. As Amaral notes, all of us, humans and non-humans, are on the same ontological level, the differences being only a matter of perspective. We are all made of the same stuff as dreamsand stars. Asked about her thoughts on World, Amarals peerless translator Margaret Jull Costa replied: What I take from this collection of poems is a sense of joy in the ordinaryseeing an ant going about its business, or a bee or a fish, or the feeling of sharing a whole history with a particular table, or watching a very ordinary woman sitting on a train playing with the handle of her handbag. World also brings us meditations on colonisation, slavery and whaling. Like the world, it is full of surprises and full of joy and sadness. These vibrant, exultant poems invite you to share this marvellous world: Yes, all you need (how easy!) is to say yes.