Whispers and Breath of the Meadows
by Razmik Davoyan
Bilingual English / Armenian edition
Translated by Arminé Tamrazian, introduced by W. N. Herbert
Part of our Visible Poets series edited by Jean Boase-Beier
Armenia's most significant contemporary poet, Razmik Davoyan is one of a handful of names in Armenian literature which define not only an era, but go much further to embody an entire history. Davoyan's work reflects the experiences of an old nation, yet it is fresh and very personal at the same time. It is impossible not to feel the struggles, hopes and aspirations of his native land in his work.
Whispers and Breath of the Meadows is a book charged with energy — indeed, W. N. Herbert, in his introduction, describes it as being 'saturated with joy'. Davoyan displays an equal empathy for the suffering and the exultant, finding for both a voice that implies such oppositions are finally resolved in the poem
. This is accessible, readable poetry from a world, a way of life and a culture unfamiliar to most English-language readers and, as such, it fascinates and enthrals.
Razmik was selected to represent Armenia in the Cultural Olympiad Poetry Parnassus in London 2012. Hear him read from Whispers and Breath of the Meadows.
Watch Razmik Davoyan read at the book's launch in Armenia's Cafesjian Center for the Arts:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=JlZyesJQsxU
ISBN: 978-1-904614-47-0 (pbk), 978-1-9046140-96-8 (hbk)
Dimensions: 138 x 216 mm
Pages: 172
Published January 2010