Smugglers

Reviews / Votes

"Debeljak's insistence on formal consistency, humor, and adherence to his subject, along with translator Henry's efforts at retaining his syntactical and cultural idiosyncrasies, put the personal, and traditional, experience of those historical events at the forefront of this collection. A troubled national history and the continuing traumas of a young nation may well strike readers as the heart of the collection." -Publishers Weekly "Ales Debeljak's Smugglers is the type of poetry book that, once the reader establishes a relationship with it, is difficult to lend out or give away. I suggest this because not every book of poems is immediately understood, not every book is instantly appreciated. But Smugglers has a quiet, dazzling nature to it that I find palpable. And so a reluctance to share it is an act to protect its artistry, as if to say, 'You may read it if only you promise to attempt feeling what I feel.' A selfish notion, sure, but this is one of those books that came along (for me) when needed. I recommend Smugglers without question. I just can't quite let you see my copy." -Damon Marbut, The Rumpus "The unique tone of the collection approaches prose diction, with lightning-like associative leaps characteristic of Debeljak's use of poetic images...The lyrical voice intuitively summons it as a witness of the moments that link the poet's childhood, adolescence, and adulthood to the present era...Nostalgia for a former life thus turns into nostalgia for all such persons, places, and situations that shaped the poet's personal identity but also the anguish and trauma over a forever-changed people in the region...Although at first glance it may not seem so, this is perhaps one of Debeljak's most intimate and exciting collections. The picturesque architecture of Ljubljana evokes the timeless beauty of baroque art and the poet's attachment to it. At the same time, in the dark deserted interiors reside the ghosts of the past, a past that is unfortunately more powerful than the future." -Bojana Stojanovic Pantovic, World Literature Today "Clear images, conversational pacing, and declarative statements provide Smugglers with numerous entry points for a variety of readers. Each of the forty poems consists of four stanzas of four lines each. Such uniformity is undeniably pleasing in that it provides a sense of surety and orientation. It also provides an emotional cushion for the wild, imaginative project Debeljak is quietly at work on ... Highly recommended!" -Mid-America Review