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Forty Names
Debut collection recalling the lives, experiences, and bravery of women in Afghanistan, which includes the 2019 Forward Prize-winning poem 'Forty Names'.
- GenresPoetry
96 pages, Paperback
Published July 29, 2021
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
August 1, 2021
“History has ungraciously failed the women of my family”
Have a look at this debut poet’s journey: Fayyaz was born in Kabul in 1990, grew up in Afghanistan and Pakistan, studied in Bangladesh and at Stanford, and is now, having completed her PhD, a research fellow at Cambridge. Many of her poems tell family stories that have taken on the air of legend due to the translated nicknames: “Patience Flower,” her grandmother, was seduced by the Khan and bore him two children; “Quietude,” her aunt, was a refugee in Iran. Her cousin, “Perfect Woman,” was due to be sent away from the family for infertility but gained revenge and independence in her own way.
Fayyaz is bold to speak out about the injustices women can suffer in Afghan culture. Domestic violence is rife; miscarriage is considered a disgrace. In “Roqeeya,” she remembers that her mother, even when busy managing a household, always took time for herself and encouraged Parwana, her eldest, to pursue an education and earn her own income. However, the poet also honours the wisdom and skills that her illiterate mother exhibited, as in the first three poems about the care she took over making dresses and dolls for her three daughters.
There is a lot here about ideals of femininity and the different routes that women take – whether more or less conventional. “Reading Nadia with Eavan” was a favourite for how it brought together different aspects of Fayyaz’s experience. Nadia Anjuman, an Afghan poet, was killed by her husband in 2005; many years later, Fayyaz found herself studying Anjuman’s work at Cambridge with the late Eavan Boland. Important as its themes are, I thought the book slightly repetitive and unsubtle, and noted few lines or turns of phrase – always a must for me when assessing a poetry collection.
Originally published on my blog, Bookish Beck.
Have a look at this debut poet’s journey: Fayyaz was born in Kabul in 1990, grew up in Afghanistan and Pakistan, studied in Bangladesh and at Stanford, and is now, having completed her PhD, a research fellow at Cambridge. Many of her poems tell family stories that have taken on the air of legend due to the translated nicknames: “Patience Flower,” her grandmother, was seduced by the Khan and bore him two children; “Quietude,” her aunt, was a refugee in Iran. Her cousin, “Perfect Woman,” was due to be sent away from the family for infertility but gained revenge and independence in her own way.
Fayyaz is bold to speak out about the injustices women can suffer in Afghan culture. Domestic violence is rife; miscarriage is considered a disgrace. In “Roqeeya,” she remembers that her mother, even when busy managing a household, always took time for herself and encouraged Parwana, her eldest, to pursue an education and earn her own income. However, the poet also honours the wisdom and skills that her illiterate mother exhibited, as in the first three poems about the care she took over making dresses and dolls for her three daughters.
There is a lot here about ideals of femininity and the different routes that women take – whether more or less conventional. “Reading Nadia with Eavan” was a favourite for how it brought together different aspects of Fayyaz’s experience. Nadia Anjuman, an Afghan poet, was killed by her husband in 2005; many years later, Fayyaz found herself studying Anjuman’s work at Cambridge with the late Eavan Boland. Important as its themes are, I thought the book slightly repetitive and unsubtle, and noted few lines or turns of phrase – always a must for me when assessing a poetry collection.
Originally published on my blog, Bookish Beck.
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February 11, 2024In this collection, Parwana uses long, sectional, confessional poems to tell a narrative about growing up in Afghanistan ~20 years ago. We get a lot of mythical stories, and stories about or surrounding the poet, which was powerful for me because this is an experience, voice, and view I haven’t seen represented in media much at all. And because some of the poems, such as Golden Haired Zari, also speak to the way some people think in North India.
There’s also an archival aspect to this, as the poet remembers other Afghan poets’ legacies, such as Nadia/Anjuman. Parwana’s poems themselves reflect how easy it is for one’s legacy to be lost, or neglected. Some of the images are also quite beautiful, like the image of a woman meeting a wolf in the field, or of women with intense black eyes emerging from poppies.
There’s also an archival aspect to this, as the poet remembers other Afghan poets’ legacies, such as Nadia/Anjuman. Parwana’s poems themselves reflect how easy it is for one’s legacy to be lost, or neglected. Some of the images are also quite beautiful, like the image of a woman meeting a wolf in the field, or of women with intense black eyes emerging from poppies.
October 26, 2021
The blurb describes Fayyaz's debut collection to contain poems which "hover between cultures and languages, thinking in one and understanding in another." It is most visible in how Fayyaz religiously translated words, phrases, and names into English, rendering their meaning in italics alongside the original words, phrases, and names, only separated by a comma. I get what she is going for, and it is an interesting way to highlight a linguistic gulf, the jump between the native and the foreign, but it really doesn't work for me. Stylistically, I find it awkward and unnecessary. Symbolically, it comes across as a little subservient. The poems in general are verbose and descriptive with long sentences. I struggled to find an inner rhythm as I read and they unfortunately felt very close to prose cut up as verse. When it comes to the subjects, Fayyaz highlights female lives within her family, showcasing Afghani socio-cultural traditions and values, placing importance on shared lineages and struggles.
(I received a finished copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.)
(I received a finished copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.)
March 12, 2023
This collection does read more like short stories than other poetry collections I've read. The first section called "Roqeeya" stood out to me in particular as portraits around her mother, but the storytelling became a little too stylised as I went along the other sections.
June 21, 2024
beautiful. also is the kindest soul, so glad i met her
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews