Ilya Kaminsky was born in the former Soviet Union. He is the author of a poetry collection, Dancing in Odessa, and coeditor of The Ecco Anthology of International Poetry. He was a 2014 finalist for the Neustadt International Prize for Literature.
One of the New York Times's 100 Notable Books of 2019 "These poems
bestow the power of sacred drama on a secular martyrology. . . .
Kaminsky is wonderfully attentive to . . . repeating patterns of
details, contributing to the impression that his book is a
through-composed whole, rather than simply a sequence of individual
poems. . . . By situating these poems in a country at war, Kaminsky
forces the reader to consider both the ways in which we define our
social belonging and the loyalties according to which we operate. .
. . A visit to this republic will not leave the reader
unchanged."--The New York Times Book Review "Evident throughout
[Deaf Republic] is a profound imagination, matched only by the
poet's ability to create a republic of conscience that is
ultimately ours, too, and utterly his own--a map of what it means
to live 'in a peaceful country.'"--Kevin Young, The New Yorker
"Described as a 'parable in poems, ' Kaminsky's soulful new
collection opens on an act of horrific violence before meditating
on silence and deafness in times of political unrest. The language
is exquisite; the ethical questions Kaminsky poses are
provocative."--Entertainment Weekly "Re-envisioning disability as
power and silence as singing, Kaminsky has created a searing
allegory precisely tuned to our times, a stark appeal to our
collective conscience."--NPR.org "Cutting-edge."--The Washington
Post "With lyrical and fearless language, Ilya Kaminsky has written
an engrossing page-turner that challenges society's silence, and
celebrates the power of community in the face of violent
atrocities."--The Seattle Times "Deaf Republic is harrowing and
damning, if we dare to listen."--Vox "[Deaf Republic] is curved
with beautiful oddities of phrase. . . . A play in verse, a novel
in verse, collective pain in verse--classifications are unnecessary
here, as Kaminsky's book is at its soul a story. . . . Deaf
Republic arrives, textured and alive."--The Millions "With Deaf
Republic, Kaminsky delivers another stunning achievement."--Kenyon
Review "The peculiar achievement of Deaf Republic--echoey with
calls and responses, song and clamor--is that the whole is not
simply greater than its parts: it is their counterargument, their
antidote."--Poetry Magazine "Within the world of these poems,
silence becomes both a foreshadowing and an appeal, as these gaps
leave room for the reader to participate in the poems'
revolutionary politics."--The Brooklyn Rail "[Deaf Republic] sings
with a necessary freshness."--World Literature Today "Deaf Republic
is nurtured by a commitment to poetry as a form of resistance,
dialogue, and a noble spiritual vocation--ethos that hearkens back
to poetry's origins and its power."--Tablet Magazine "Breathtaking
. . . a highconcept interrogation of individual and civic response
to political upheaval and collective action."--American Poets "Deaf
Republic contains some of the most exquisite lines you'll find in
contemporary poetry."--New York Journal of Books "Kaminsky demands
that we reevaluate our own language -- about deaf culture, about
silence itself -- in a time when language in the larger, cultural
public square has never been more vitriolic. . . . Deaf Republic is
a masterfully wrought collection."--Los Angeles Review of Books
"Kaminsky speaks of our darkest days, of tyranny and death. Yet he
sings of the world--of poetry and dance and sex and love--with the
highest praise."--Commonweal Magazine "Few poets can claim such
originality, intensity of feeling and expression, and
conscience."--Blackbird "Intoxicating and wondrous. . . . In these
sincere, striking poems, Kaminsky posits the beauty of this world
as essential."--BookPage "Deaf Republic is stringent medicine for
all nations, especially powerful ones that have grown slack in
their apprehension and practice of the 'categorical imperative.'
With its lapidary, figurative conceits, this poem that weaves in
and out of poetry, drama, and prose as a hybrid and liminal tour de
force works on both the stage and page as a poignant reminder for
our present age of the proverbial dangers of fascism's
recrudescence."--On the Seawall "A contemporary
masterpiece."--Washington Examiner "Kaminsky's Deaf Republic is
both rigorous and profound. Kaminsky reveals himself as a showman
of narrative, informed by a deep sense of character and tension, as
well as a skillful lyricist, present with each syllable, each
letter, each rhythm the breath makes as it darts its ways around
his sparse and elegant poems."--Michigan Quarterly Review "A
bruising, haunting examination of humanity's paradoxical reserve
for great compassion and endless cruelty, Deaf Republic holds an
unsettling gaze on how we love amid chaos and despair."--Carolina
Quarterly "In Kaminsky's lines, sound takes visible shape. The
ordinary things of the world transmogrify, and a small detail,
stripped down, takes on the weight of a country."--The Critical
Flame
"Deaf Republic challenges us to think about listening, silence, and
communication in a world that regards both violence and joy with
dull indifference."--Barrelhouse "A riveting and emotional story
line with parallels to the author's life, which relies on plain
spoken diction, repetition, and small moments of romantic desire to
anchor its larger political themes."--Publishers Weekly, starred
review "The product of 15 years of meditation, this chilling
work--an important warning about the forces of repression and a
quiet salute to the courage of the few who resist--heralds the
maturity of an important voice in world poetry."--Library Journal,
starred review "Stunning. . . . At once intimate and sensual but
also poignant and timely."--Booklist, starred review
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