Zee van vreemden. Poëzie en proza. Door Lang Leav.

Dit is de tweede bundel van Leav, uitgegeven door Muse. En tussen haakjes: Muse is echt geweldig bezig; waarvoor dank!

Na Liefde staat je goed is er nu Zee van vreemden. Het concept is hetzelfde: een gigantische hoeveelheid korte en iets langere teksten die lezen als agenda-aantekeningen, dagboek-uittreksels, korte kortverhalen, wijze lessen,… over liefde, afscheid, liefdesverdriet, zelfzorg en zo veel meer.

Lang Leav is één van de bekendste Instagramdichters, opgestaan in het spoor van Rupi Kaur en daar ben ik haar dankbaar voor. Zij heeft wereldwijd honderdduizenden fans die dankzij haar de prachtige wereld van de poëzie zijn binnengestapt. Waar nog zo veel meer moois te ontdekken valt.
Prachtig dat Muse (een imprint van BBNC uitgevers) daar bij helpt.

Net zoals Liefde staat je goed is Zee van vreemden ook prachtig vormgegeven, een aanwinst voor je boekenkast. ( )

// RECEIVED AN ADVANCE READER COPY FOR A REVIEW //

“if i have learned anything this year, its that I won’t ever be ready for what life throws at me."


the poems are pretty much bittersweet with a touch of nostalgia. and if not that, something that you can relate to on a level so deep the mariana trench got jealous.

officially my favortie lang leav poem book even though most of the poems are still about love as per usual. thank you and goodbye. ( )

The lovely: some minimalist but emotionally effective and resonant ideas. The unfortunate: the minimalism makes the poetry/prose pieces feel like they border on amateurish/pretentious/obvious. (Reminds me of some of my stuff… shudder.) Still, the cover is beautiful, each page is a nice breath, and it's a nice quick read.

Some of the pieces that made me smile instead of roll my eyes: Witness, Wishing Well, Two Worlds, Back to Life, Poetry and Prose, After All, Borrowed Love, Whole Again.

Inside I wrote you a story about the moon, how night after night the darkness carved at the pale curve of her body until she became half the woman she was.

( )

Sea of Strangers by Lang Leav is the poet's fourth publish collection. Leav is an international bestselling author and social media sensation. She is the winner of a Qantas Spirit of Youth Award and coveted Churchill Fellowship.

This my second review of one of Leav's books. I was introduced to her work by another review that of her partner, Michael Faudet. Both write short poems and pieces of prose which is a growing trend in the reading of younger adults and hip kids today. One doesn't have to look too hard to find the writing of Leav, Faudet, r.h. Sin, Samantha King, and many others who write in this style.

I do like the writing better in this collection than her previous work. Although the writing and poems are short and in simple terms, there seems to be more body to this collection. It is not classical poetry or even modern poetry of say, Ginsberg, O'Hara, or Billy Collins. A more cynical person would see it as the younger generations need for bite-size messages with a single and simple message. It is, however, the minimalist version of poetry. Where poets in the past used language to paint a picture of emotion, Leav uses as few words as possible to present a simple but heartfelt thought. Some of it is very good and some of it presents an oversimplified picture with that comfortable rhythm of a nursery rhyme:

For All Time

You talk to me in riddles,
I will answer you in rhyme
I loved you for a little --
I will love you for all time.

The book is printed on every other page so when open the reader will be able to concentrate only one the one short thought at a time and gives the book some heft. I will admit that it is nice to focus on a few words that can be absorbed in almost a glance and then have the blank space to pause and absorb what I have just read. There is no sense of urgency to the next page. The reader will linger thinking about what was just read.

Although I prefer the deeper thoughts of understanding and appreciating older poetry, Leav and others are creating a convenience type poetry that is popular with the younger crowd who would rather have the kernel of literature and ponder it than discover it themselves. However, if it helps popularize poetry, it can't be all bad.

Available January 9, 2018 ( )

I enjoyed the theme of sea, ocean and water in the poetry. I've come to realize that I do not love the modern poetry style and prefer classical ones with a rhyme scheme. So while I didn't like the writing style, if you enjoy contemporary poetry style, I'd recommend this book.

Note: I received a free copy of this book from the publisher. This has not influenced my review in any way. ( )