Review by hlc85 -- The Immigrant's Lament by Mois benarroch

[hlc85]

[Following is a volunteer review of "The Immigrant's Lament" by Mois benarroch.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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Mois Benarroch hails himself as “Moshe the poet / Moshe the true poet” in his collection The Immigrant’s Lament and his assertion could not be more accurate. Although it would seem to be a rather lofty reputation to live up to, Benarroch proves that he is, in fact, a magnificent poet through the innovations in his work and his success as a writer is a testament in itself. Benarroch is an Israeli poet whose writings have been translated into numerous languages. His apparent popularity derives from the intricate and multicultural themes that he explores in his collection.

Benarroch’s The Immigrant’s Lament is a current, powerful, and moving series of poems that gives voice to the honest and uncensored emotion of an immigrant, traveler, and displaced individual. Benarroch documents an authentic and personal account of the hardships of being an outsider due to his travels. His collection begins by explaining his simplistic childhood in Morocco with his family that was soon complicated by his family’s move to Israel. This life event triggers an irresistible wanderlust that compels him to “. . . walk between countries / stumbling and falling / like an ant without a nest” (Benarroch 27). This wanderlust urges Benarroch to venture across the globe to areas including France, Spain, Palestine, and Africa.

Although Benarroch vaguely glosses over the details of his journeys, the consequences of his wanderlust are palpable through his work and subsequently create the conflict and underlying themes of his poetry. Perhaps the most interesting part about this collection and the aspect I liked most was the depth of his contemplation. Throughout The Immigrant’s Lament, Benarroch considers the binaries in his life including the dichotomies of time (past and present), relationships (love and hate), place (here and there), and identity. The motivation of his work seems to be to articulate the intricacies of developing a stable identity while constantly being in flux in beliefs and location. I was totally immersed in this collection by the fact that Benarroch stands as a relatable poet who struggles to understand his place in the world and his family. He blatantly admits thoughts that should be shameful and this sincerity is lacking in many writers. The ability for the author to openly share his thoughts and his unique voice was refreshing and courageous. I was very much fascinated by The Immigrant’s Lament and the way it was written.

Another interesting innovation to Mois Benarroch’s work was that it was not structured according to other collections of poems. The structure of the collection was unconventional, but it was a masterful way to express his life experiences. The collection is divided in three sections; the first is called the “Immigrant’s Lament,” the second is a series of titled poems, and the last is labelled “Self Portrait of the Poet in a Family Mirror.” The portion referred to as “The Immigrant’s Lament” contains poems that are not titled; instead, they are clearly separated by bolding the first line of a new poem. The poems blend together to voice the whole and meditated narrative of his childhood. By having the poems fluidly connect, he creates a stream of consciousness that documents his past with reflective, simple, and concrete language. The second section of The Immigrant’s Lament uses more figurative language to discuss his adulthood and perhaps the current issues and experiences of his life. This portion uses a style that is customary to poetry, which is individually titled poems that are also divided by page breaks. Benarroch may still be grappling with many issues described in this area like the failure of his marriage, so he would not be able to merely document it like he did with his childhood. The third part titled “Self Portrait of the Poet in a Family Mirror” is a brilliant vehicle for Benarroch to reflect upon his role in a family. This portion of the collection is one extended poem that allows the poet to contemplate his adult life. The structure of The Immigrant’s Lament was fascinating and conducive to his message; however, one criticism I have would be that the Table of Contents was placed at the end, so I completely overlooked it until I read the full collection. It would be more logical and helpful to position it in the beginning to allow the readers to perceive the unique structure of his poems.

Overall, I would give The Immigrant’s Lament a rating of 3 out of 4 stars. The collection was enthralling because he boldly shares difficult topics of his personal life. The collection would be most appreciated by those who enjoy poetry while it may seem tedious to others who find it confusing to grasp. Luckily, most of his work is written like a narrative, so he creates a story with his poetry rather than entirely relying on disjointed and puzzling pieces. Benarroch could be considered a confessional poet since his work is definitely autobiographical and revealing, yet his work possesses another dimension because he is giving the account of the twenty-first century human being torn between embracing his global connectivity and familial duties. I believe that the most interesting section of his work is the first part “The Immigrant’s Lament.” This section is the introduction to the poet and the inner turmoil and conflicts that developed in Benarroch from an early age. This section is not obscured by ambiguous language, so it is far easier to relate to him. He also discusses many individuals in his family when he was a child and including this personal information draws the readers into his youth and allows the readers to understand him. The second portion of his collection that includes a series of untitled poems is my least favorite section. I found the meaning too difficult to understand in these poems and Benarroch lost his greatest charm and power as a poet which is that he can create connections with his audience through straightforward and unashamed confessions. However, this portion assuredly does not mar his work since it seems to be intentionally created in this way. His choice in making the meaning and truth less defined urges the readers to try to decipher the significance of the poems. It also expresses the difficulty Benarroch faces in pondering and piecing together the issues that were manifesting in his life at this time.

The Immigrant’s Lament by Mois Benarroch does not receive a perfect score of 4 out of 4 stars since there are several typos throughout his work. The errors are typically issues with spelling. For example on page 22, the quotation is “The land will burry it.” The word “burry” should only have one r to be “bury.” Another similar mistake occurred on page 54 when Benarroch comments “but it's just as always the rich against the poor / you win I loose.” In this instance, the word “loose” should have been spelled “lose.” There are numerous errors throughout the text that change the meaning of his poems and cause minor disruptions to the beauty of his work. Despite these errors, The immigrant’s Lament by Mois Benarroch comes highly recommended and it is a profound collection to read and enjoy.

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The Immigrant's Lament
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Like hlc85's review? Post a comment saying so!

[Rosemary Okoko]

I agree with you that the table of contents should have been at the beginning of the writing to avoid confusing readers. I read this book and enjoyed it. Nice review.

[Jaime Lync]

Great review! I liked that you classified the first and the last poems as a number of poems combined. When I read the collection those poems just felt longwinded but after reading your review I am better able to appreciate them.

[hlc85]

I agree with you that the table of contents should have been at the beginning of the writing to avoid confusing readers. I read this book and enjoyed it. Nice review.

It was difficult at first connecting the three parts without the table of contents. I think it would be a great enhancement to have it in the beginning. Thank you for the feedback. I enjoyed the collection too.

-- 04 Jul 2017, 11:21 --

Great review! I liked that you classified the first and the last poems as a number of poems combined. When I read the collection those poems just felt longwinded but after reading your review I am better able to appreciate them.

Thank you for your response. i am glad that it helped you appreciate the collection since it is a good read. They were a little long-winded, but i think it was to express a cohesive narrative.

[Czarmaine AM]

I have read another work by the same author titled "Raquel Says". I must say that the writing style of Bennaroch really needs some getting used to but once you get past it, you'd really appreciate how talented he is. I am so amazed by how you wrote this review. You've explored it well without giving away too much spoilers that made me want to grab a copy of it now. You did a really great job. Hoping to read more reviews from you.

[hlc85]

I have read another work by the same author titled "Raquel Says". I must say that the writing style of Bennaroch really needs some getting used to but once you get past it, you'd really appreciate how talented he is. I am so amazed by how you wrote this review. You've explored it well without giving away too much spoilers that made me want to grab a copy of it now. You did a really great job. Hoping to read more reviews from you.

Thank you Czarmaine AM for your feedback. I would love to look into "Raquel Says," so thank you for mentioning it. I agree. I find his writing style is one that you have to get used to; however, I am very intrigued by his worldliness and his willingness to share so much of himself.

[Jeremie Mondejar]

Thanks for your nice review. I guess, I will struggle reading this book. I love poems on the other hand but if it's hard to understand, I will not enjoy reading it. Thanks.