y separately published work icon Lalomanu selected work   poetry  
Issue Details: First known date: 2010... 2010 Lalomanu
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AbstractHistoryArchive Description

Dedicated to the author's daughter: 'Lalomanu, a father's homage to his daughter. On 29 September 2009, hardly thirty minutes after dawn, a tsunami wiped out the south coast of Upolu, Samoa. The village of Lalomanu bore the brunt of four 15 metre high waves. Almost two hundred people died as a result of the tsunami' (Back cover).

Notes

  • Dedication: To my daughter Clea, in memoriam.
  • Epigraph: ... there are no second chances in a universe which must get on with the business of living. Peter Porter, 'Talking To You Afterwards.'
  • 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.
  • 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

* Contents derived from the Amaroo, Gungahlin area, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory,:Jorge Salavert , 2010 version. Please note that other versions/publications may contain different contents. See the Publication Details.
Preamble : The Polaroid (3 January 2003)i"Against an aseptic maternity-ward background", Jorge Salavert , single work poetry (p. 9)
On Lalomanu Beachi"Beautiful hues of surrounding green and blue,", Jorge Salavert , single work poetry (p. 13)
Sonnet #1i"Her hazel eyes hold a firm grip on him.", Jorge Salavert , single work poetry (p. 14)
Skipping on the Seashorei"She's skipping on the seashore.", Jorge Salavert , single work poetry (p. 15)
Runningi"He was running, running, running", Jorge Salavert , single work poetry (p. 16)
The Monsteri"My five-year-old told me", Jorge Salavert , single work poetry (p. 17)
The Killing Wateri"The sea arches over the reef,", Jorge Salavert , single work poetry (p. 18)
Untitledi"Six years and nine months amount not to a long life,", Jorge Salavert , 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 , Jorge Salavert (translator), single work poetry (p. 20-21)
The Voidi"He does not speak his language", Jorge Salavert , single work poetry (p. 22)
At 45i"At forty-five years of age", Jorge Salavert , single work poetry (p. 23)
Lalomanu Sunrisei"Amid the blue,the yellow and the green,", Jorge Salavert , single work poetry (p. 25)
Red Hearts on Paperi"Mi babita, my little darling baby,", Jorge Salavert , single work poetry (p. 27)
What's in a Name?i"Her parents always thought hers was a name", Jorge Salavert , single work poetry (p. 28)
Lalomanui"A long golden strip", Jorge Salavert , single work poetry (p. 31)
The Tremori"For a whole minute", Jorge Salavert , single work poetry (p. 32)
Tsunami (1)i"The water roaring,", Jorge Salavert , single work poetry (p. 33)
Tsunami (2)i"On the horizon", Jorge Salavert , single work poetry (p. 34)
Panici"No air in his lungs,", Jorge Salavert , single work poetry (p. 35)
The Clutchi"The boy clutches on", Jorge Salavert , single work poetry (p. 36)

Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of

Language: English , Spanish , Catalan
    • Amaroo, Gungahlin area, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory,: Jorge Salavert , 2010 .
      Link: U22437Web resource Sighted: 16/05/2012
      Extent: 78p.
      Description: col. illus.
      Note/s:
      • 'All translations from the Spanish and Catalan are the author's' (Verso t.p.). In English ; some text also in Spanish or Catalan.
      • Cover design and typeset by Maria Vidal
      • Available to be read online, or downloaded, from Issuu digital publishing at http://issuu.com
      ISBN: 9780646530895 (pbk.), 0646530895 (Trade Paper)

Works about this Work

'His Grief Is the Plague' : Poetry of Loss and the Risk of Losing One's Readers Michael Jacklin , 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]

Después de Lalomanu Jorge Salavert , 2011 2011 single work criticism
— Appears in: Hermano Cerdo 2006-;
Mourning, Healing and Peace Misa Telefoni , 2010 single work column
— Appears in: Samoa Observer , 3 October 2010; (p. 14-15)
Mourning, Healing and Peace Misa Telefoni , 2010 single work column
— Appears in: Samoa Observer , 3 October 2010; (p. 14-15)
Después de Lalomanu Jorge Salavert , 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 Michael Jacklin , 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]

Last amended 10 Feb 2014 13:00:40
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