I try to ration myself for prompts, perturbed by the idea that I will be swallowed in an endless cycle of call and response, but one that I will not miss each month, is 6 Degrees of Separation. Starting from a given title, each reader of books – no matter when they read them, summons six links to form a chain that finally links from and back to the beginning book.
I confess I do not make enough time for reading books, words bound between covers on paper as opposed to screens, though I always have one novel and at least one non-fiction on the go – however slow. I confess that the Poets Pub is often the guilty party in keeping me from the books though I do not blame or object because beautiful, moving or informative as books are, the pleasure of company and connection are better still.
I’m afraid my To Be Read list rarely coincides with the 6 Degrees prompt and only sometimes am I moved to purchase the recommendation, but recently I fell hook line and sinker for Time Shelter. The book is a metaphorical creation of memory clinics where sufferers from certain kinds of memory loss may steep themselves – full-immersion – in a room recreating an era from their past and get the backroads to their lost memories cleared of debris. A few weeks or months in which a loved one comes to life again is worth so much to relatives grieving the loss of someone who is still alive…
Dear Readers – I bought the book! I have no regrets and I recommend it even to poets – no! especially to poets so they may dive into a novel length metaphorical fiction that explores memory and loss, health and sickness and if that sounds depressing, I assure you that Time Shelter, by Georgi Gospodinov is most entertainingly told – and now your turn to confess – when is the last time you read a fiction by a Bulgarian?
This Prose Poem was written for Laura Bloomsbury‘s prompt for National Buy a Book day over at dVerse Poets Pub…
© Andrew Wilson, 2023
You wrote a prose poem about a book AND you even bought the book! Bravo!👏🏻
Honestly Melissa – with every 6 Degrees post you visit there are 6 new recommendations plus the one which is the starting point that I have noted a few down but don’t expect to buy them anytime soon – but this was different. If you go to the post – which is linked from the image caption – you’ll see it echoed with a group in london who do something similar. It is a great read and won an award for both the book and the translator…
Interesting concept! 😀
Thanks for sharing, Andrew.
<3
David
Hi David – if you visit the link to the actual post – it’s in the image caption – there is more about the whole idea which is fascinating…
I enjoyed your review of your book. Sounds like and interesting read. The idea of relatives coming back for a short time is interesting. It probably happens in reality at least in our minds when a loved one passes.
Thanks Dwight – reminiscence work is a thing – even if not quite as huge and comprehensive as in the book and it certainly re-animates some types of Alzheimer’s for a while at least…
Sounds like a great read. I really like the idea of relatives coming back to life. Good recommendation. Great write!
You wont be sorry if you buy it Di…
I am a slow reader myself, so I understand that this is a strong recommendation. You have made it sound well worth the time spent.
Indeed it was and you can read more about it if you click the link on the image caption at the bottom of the page – thanks for visiting…
This sounds like a book I would love!
I understand the lure of books, but also of connecting on screens. Still, I always have a novel to read at bedtime.
I laughed at your comment about reading a Bulgarian work of fiction. I thought of the book The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova, but it turns out she’s American married to a Bulgarian man.
It really is good – did you visit my 6 Degrees post (link in image caption) which tells the backstory of why I was attracted to read this book? I encountered a charity doing novel work with reminiscence stories, many years ago…
fascinating – and vrey nicely put
“steep themselves – full-immersion – in a room recreating an era from their past and get the backroads to their lost memories cleared of debris”
Thanks Laura, they were my own favourite “poetic” bits of the prose…
“because beautiful, moving or informative as books are, the pleasure of company and connection are better still.”
I can relate to that
Much🖤love
As little as I know you yet Gilllena, I can imagine that to be so…
What a fascinating book. Freud would have been fascinated too I’m sure. But above all I love how you work a theme within a theme – the 6 Degrees and your time constraints and dVerse, clever.
Thanks Paul!
Our library has that book, two copies, no wait list. I may get it, perhaps to read, for sure it seems to be one I can skip around in. I’d like for a family member to read it; she’s having some problems. Perhaps if I had it sitting around, she might pick it up.
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Go for it Jim!
The premise sounds interesting! Will check out the caption link in a sec here.