{"product_id":"9781634050500","title":"Death in Summer","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eBurmese poet Maung Day's ninth book of poems but his first full-length collection written in English, \u003ci\u003eDeath in Summer\u003c\/i\u003e is a haunting, surreal series of prose poems and original ink drawings that delivers defiant social commentary on the atrocities of Myanmar's past and its turbulent current events.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThrough these visceral, at times magical realist poems, we witness a family's migration from the countryside to Yangon, a childhood marked by the 8888 uprising and resulting coup, and present-day struggles against political censorship and violence.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eInterwoven throughout the book are Day's chimeric figure drawings, which, like his poetry, draw on Buddhist folklore and themes of environmental justice. Day's writing is influenced by the Burmese \u003ci\u003ekhitpor\u003c\/i\u003e (modern) tradition and American poetry alike. His stark imagery and frank, direct use of language evoke Charles Simic, while the absurd and fable-like narratives may remind readers of Russell Edson.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn a city \"trembling with insomnia,\" we meet tongueless children who \"must speak through birds given to them on the first day of school,\" a visiting uncle who prefers to sleep outdoors in a tree, \"a corpse waiting for burial at a monastery\" who \"mutters how much he hates the wet days,\" and a terrified family that realizes their home is actually \"a carriage drawn by a malevolent creature\" they can't see. At once exquisite and grotesque, plainspoken and enigmatic, \u003ci\u003eDeath in Summer\u003c\/i\u003e is an original and spellbinding collection of contemporary activist poetry and art.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Maung Day","offers":[{"title":"Chin Music Press |  Paperback \/ softback | Trade paperback (US) |  2023-09-29","offer_id":44230044614911,"sku":"9781634050500","price":25.95,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0329\/9075\/7001\/files\/BNCImageAPI_c02ee7c5-b753-4e2a-89ef-c6328a8e14d3.jpg?v=1700681725","url":"https:\/\/riverbookshop.com\/products\/9781634050500","provider":"River Bookshop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}