Ilya Kaminsky

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.

Poems

Deaf Republic

Lindsay

ON SILENCE: The deaf don’t believe in silence. Silence is the invention of the hearing.

I have to screw on the expression of a person

We must speak not only of great devastation—

-"The Townspeople Watch Them Take Alfonso"

and no one stands up. Our silence stands up for us.

and pretend to Sonya that I am the greatest poet

The arrested are made to walk with their arms raised up. As if they are about to leave the earth and are trying out the wind.

-"While the Child Sleeps, Sonya Undresses"

of a woman who speaks against silence, knowing

It has begun: I see the blue canary of my country

pick breadcrumbs from each citizen’s eyes—

pick breadcrumbs from my neighbors’ hair—

Our hearing doesn’t weaken, but something silent in us strengthens.

You are alive, I whisper to myself, therefore something in you listens.

Cait🪼

I'll admit, I doubted how good this was going to be - I'm not a huge fan of contemporary poetry - but Deaf Republic was so completely beautiful. I was thoroughly entranced, even after a third read-through. The premise: intriguing; the execution: enchanting.

azliana aziz

Alyanna

** spoiler alert **
           could not stop reading it the moment i started. ilya kaminsky, you genius. 

craft ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
plot ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
well-written poems that craft a great story, evaluative of society & people’s complacency driven by (understandable, almost relatable) fear amidst injustice

cannot stop thinking about it after reading it. in what ways have we turned (symbolically) deaf amidst a political backdrop like this, and in what instances have we continued to watch—just watch, silently—as lives were taken and dragged across the snow?

kaminsky’s work had a chilling symbolism and was representative of war history. the innocent child shot leading to townspeople turning deaf, having “puppet shows” — our country is on stage, death and violation of women & their bodies. i could not help but think of colonial history in the philippines.


“Our country has surrendered. / Years later, some will say none of this happened; the shops were open, we were happy and went to see puppet shows in the park. / And yet, on some nights, townspeople dim the lights and teach their children to sign. Our country is the stage: when patrols march, we sit on our hands. Don’t be afraid, a child signs to a tree, a door. / When patrols march, the avenues empty. Air empties, but for the squeaks of strings and the tap tap of wooden fists against the walls.”

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.

🤍

This was easily one of the best books I’ve read in a long time.

erin moran 

Arden Kowalski

Athena Eloy

This is one of the most unique poetry collections I’ve read. Really incredible story.

BBC Radio 4 BOOK OF THE WEEK FORWARD PRIZE 2019 SHORTLIST POETRY BOOK SOCIETY CHOICE 2019 The long-awaited new collection from Ilya Kaminsky: a remarkable parable in poems which asks us, what is silence? Deaf Republic opens in a time of political unrest in an occupied territory. It is uncertain where we are or when, in what country or during what conflict, but we come to recognise that these events are also happening here, right now. This astonishing parable in poems unfolds episodically like a play, its powerful narrative provoked by a tragic opening scene: when soldiers breaking up a protest kill a deaf boy, the gunshot becomes the last thing the citizens hear - in that moment, all have gone deaf. Inside this silence, their dissent becomes coordinated by sign language. The story then follows the private lives of townspeople encircled by public violence: a newly married couple, Alfonso and Sonya, expecting their child; the daring Momma Galya, instigating the insurgency from her puppet theatre; and Galya's puppeteers, covertly teaching signs by day and by night heroically luring soldiers one by one to their deaths behind the curtain. At once a love story, an elegy, and an urgent plea, Deaf Republic confronts our time's vicious atrocities and our collective silence in the face of them.

Deaf Republic Poems

Reviews

Highlights