Farhang:
word in Persian (Farsi) means Culture

I wanted to start my review with the definition of the word because i thought that it actually is an accurate representation of what Patrick Woodcock attempts to present us in this poetry collection. The poems are his reflections on his experiences across the world. Memorializing lost friends, places, art, language, architecture, etc. The negative effects of politics and politicians left to their own devices.

I liked the poetry a lot but it is not an easy read. It is very heavy emotionally. It is definitely university level english.


theme : WWII
warfare's,
abandoned

The first section of this collection reads more like lyric essays that poetry to me. I went in expecting a type of travelogue told through poetry, and technically that is not incorrect. Woodcock covers a myriad a people and places that he has been. This is not a travelogue though.

Woodcock writes literal descriptions while also employing enough metaphor to paint a picture in as few words as possible. Part of me wants to say that the later poems employ shock factor and tragedy to catch attention, but I'm well aware that such paperwork and fact are simply parts of life. The collection is a travelogue of tragedy, of place, of happenstance, of loss, and occasionally of simple joy.

I almost want to call this a poetic memoir intended for the places he has left behind, but I feel it will be of interest to anyone who finds perspective pieces and poetry to their tastes. I do plan to read the next two books as they come out as I appreciated the writing style employed and admire the breadth of time and place present in these poems.

Thank you so much for this book! I received the arc in exchange for an honest review. Thank you Patrick Woodcock and ECW Press!

Thank you NetGalley and ECW Press for the chance to read and review this ARC.

Farhang is not an easy read in the slightest. I'll probably be able to actually write a review for this after I get my hands on a print copy so that I can sit with it in a way that I can't on my kindle or phone. Until then I will leave this with 4 stars.

This took a long time to read. You need to read it, sit on it a bit, then rereading. I would never choose this for a light read. Only pick this up if you want a challenge. It's good but as far as a recommendation goes you not only have to like poetry, but want something complex too.

This book is a tough one to rate, but I'll explain how I got here.

One one hand, let me say that the language is not for the faint of heart, in the sense that I quick read won't get you far. The imagery deserves to be considered and unpacked. Sit with it. Reread it. It's dense, but there are some real gems in here.

Overall, I went with five stars because I feel like this is what poetry is for: a way to challenge the status quo, your comfort, and your assumptions. The author note helped, and I sort of wish I'd read it first to help orient me, but I was reading an ebook and I didn't want to go flipping around in search of a note I wasn't sure existed. I tell you now: it exists and it's all the way at the end. If that helps you, now you know.

This collection spends a lot of time in war zones and on dark topics, another reason it's not a quick and easy read. I took me time and did a few poems at a go. They're organized by time and geography, and there are through lines, in that some of the poems are presented in clusters centered around a theme or structure that will fall away to be replaced with something else.

I'm not sure I would say that I enjoyed this chapbook, since the material is quite dark and brutal at times, but as the author says, this is a little window into places and times that no longer exist, as seen through the filter of the poet. I don't know how it relates to the first book in the collection, but it would be interesting to compare the two.

Thank you to NetGalley for letting me read this as an ARC.

I won't say I understand all the poems, because I always have problem reading poetry.
But the author offers a really intimate feelings of how he views the world.
Patrick extracted the sparks of life and mix them in this book.
Some pieces even have special layouts. I think that's interesting.

I used to write poetry too about 10 years ago. But when life got busier, I stopped writing, sometimes, also thinking.
I think we all get numb when we get older.
Farhang enlightens a new way of seeing and feeling the world.