Mamasafari

Poetry. Translated by Andrea Jurjevi'. This collection by poet, novelist and dramatist Olja Savi'evi?, one of Croatia's most important contemporary voices, is the first of her books of poetry to be translated into English, following the critical acclaim for her novel, Adios Cowboy (Adio kauboju). MAMASAFARI is a woman's expedition into contemporary Mediterranean culture, a collection of prose poems that meditates with vivid imagery and narrative on family, identity and the politics of the Balkans. "Mamasafari," the second section of the book, continues in the vein of observation and political commentary (particularly the problematic history of the poet's native Balkans), yet this time in a more lyrical manner, and this time with the poet's eye lovingly scrutinizing and exploring family life. The speaker braids the experiences of being a mother, a lover, and a child, at times playing the three roles at once. This is a journey into what it means to be a woman. The third section, "Soundtrack for Blind Passengers," contains more poeticized and metaphorically-complex work. These poems are thematically varied, and they solidify a sense that MAMASAFARI represents an expedition, as seen from female experience--first an expedition abroad, then among the speaker's identities, and finally to some truly distant, fictional destinations.