Frankly speaking, I have not read/reviewed poem book in the past, not in English or not even in my mother tongue Gujarati. During Diwali vacation, I received this book from Debjeet Mukherjee in my mailbox. I checked the blurb and 1-2 poems and thought of giving a try. I started reading it during a long train journey and surprisingly I was able to finish it within 2-3 hours.
Book Blurb
Voyages Volume I is a collection of poems written to break the notion that poetry is an art comprehensible only by the elite. Understanding good poetry becomes easy when there is a guide to help understand all those complicated words and lines. Keeping in mind the feelings of the reader, a small quotation has been provided at the end of each poem, carrying a message of what the preceding lines were all about. This style of writing has been chosen as most of the time we fail to understand that poetry is very much a part of our life.
Whether it be sharing good wishes everyday on social media or going through some lovely quotations to uplift our moods, life is just one big book of poetry that we refuse to understand in popular culture. Just like a ship embarks on a voyage, searching and exploring new continents through vast reaches of the ocean; our life too embarks on a journey of adventures which are best described in poetry.
As the name suggests, "Voyages Volume I - A Collection of Poetry" is a collection of poems, each written at a different time in Debjeet life (I am assuming it) with a different thought. It has poem related love, relationship, friendship, inspiration, society and what not. Wordings of each poem are simple but meaningful. Not at a single point, you will feel that Debjeet is flaunting about his vocabulary.
Poem topics are selected so nicely that for everyone at least few poems feel /touch on a personal front as if written for that individual. Another good part is a short quotation given at the end of each poem which gives the crux of the poem. I liked many of these quotations. Few even made to my Twitter and Instagram timeline as well.
My personal favorite quotes are
- “Lovely is the shape of the heart in cards Because the real heart has more to bear than fantasy”
- “To take care of your loved ones is not easy. But who said it would be easy keeping a promise!”
Many of the poems are based on harsh reality which shows us the real face of the world. And most of the poems are realistic, very few are imaginative. I would like to applaud Debjeet to write so many meaningful poems at such a young age.
Talking about ratings
- Cover 4.5/5
- Content - 4/5
- Overall - 4/5
Review from other readers can be found at GoodReads
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