Deaf Republic
Extraordinary
Beautiful
Tragic

Deaf Republic Poems

Ilya Kaminsky2019
Finalist for the National Book Award for Poetry Ilya Kaminsky’s astonishing parable in poems asks us, What is silence? Deaf Republic opens in an occupied country in a time of political unrest. When soldiers breaking up a protest kill a deaf boy, Petya, the gunshot becomes the last thing the citizens hear—they all have gone deaf, and their dissent becomes coordinated by sign language. The story follows the private lives of townspeople encircled by public violence: a newly married couple, Alfonso and Sonya, expecting a child; the brash Momma Galya, instigating the insurgency from her puppet theater; and Galya’s girls, heroically teaching signing by day and by night luring soldiers one by one to their deaths behind the curtain. At once a love story, an elegy, and an urgent plea, Ilya Kaminsky’s long-awaited Deaf Republic confronts our time’s vicious atrocities and our collective silence in the face of them.
Sign up to use

Reviews

Photo of Cait🪼
Cait🪼@figs0up
4 stars
Jan 17, 2024
Photo of azliana aziz
azliana aziz@heartinidleness
4 stars
Jan 13, 2024
Photo of Alyanna
Alyanna@alyanna
5 stars
Oct 23, 2023
Photo of 🤍
🤍@sorawinter
5 stars
Aug 1, 2022
Photo of erin moran
erin moran @ernmrn
4.5 stars
Mar 20, 2022
Tragic
Beautiful
Photo of Arden Kowalski
Arden Kowalski@jonimitchell
4 stars
Jan 13, 2022
Photo of Athena Eloy
Athena Eloy@athenaeloy
5 stars
Jan 12, 2022
Photo of CM
CM@saintachoo
4 stars
Nov 18, 2021
Photo of Nadia
Nadia@nadiaj
5 stars
Oct 26, 2021
Photo of Lindsay
Lindsay@schnurln
4.5 stars
Apr 16, 2024
Bold
Insightful
Inspirational
Photo of ellis
ellis@ellis
4.5 stars
Feb 1, 2023
Powerful
Beautiful
Fascinating
Extraordinary
Unforgettable
Photo of shirley kaleen
shirley kaleen@shirleysversion
4 stars
Dec 19, 2022
Photo of Emma Bose
Emma Bose@emmashanti
5 stars
Mar 3, 2024
Photo of Sonia Grgas
Sonia Grgas@sg911911
3 stars
Feb 23, 2024
Photo of JoAnna
JoAnna@lilipuddingdog
5 stars
Feb 21, 2024
Photo of Lena
Lena@heliois
4 stars
Jan 6, 2024
Photo of angela
angela@qngel126
5 stars
Jun 10, 2023
Photo of Ana Hein
Ana Hein@anahein99
3 stars
Jan 5, 2023
Photo of Jacob Mishook
Jacob Mishook@jmishook
5 stars
Oct 16, 2022
Photo of mighty dragon
mighty dragon @naga
4 stars
Aug 13, 2022
Photo of Katja
Katja@amnesia
4 stars
Jul 24, 2022
Photo of nina
nina@oldbint
4 stars
May 30, 2022
Photo of Tamara Al-Qaisi-Coleman
Tamara Al-Qaisi-Coleman@tamaraalqaisi
5 stars
Feb 24, 2022
Photo of Nat Lim
Nat Lim@littlemissmaudlin
5 stars
Dec 28, 2021

Highlights

Photo of Lindsay
Lindsay@schnurln
Photo of Lindsay
Lindsay@schnurln
Photo of Lindsay
Lindsay@schnurln
Photo of Lindsay
Lindsay@schnurln
Photo of Lindsay
Lindsay@schnurln
Photo of Lindsay
Lindsay@schnurln
Photo of Lindsay
Lindsay@schnurln
Photo of Lindsay
Lindsay@schnurln
Photo of Lindsay
Lindsay@schnurln
Photo of Lindsay
Lindsay@schnurln
Photo of Lindsay
Lindsay@schnurln
Photo of Lindsay
Lindsay@schnurln