This poetry collection is a powerful exploration of the lasting pain of colonialism, with every word chosen to cut deep. The blend of poetry, prose, and simple artwork creates a vivid, emotional experience that lingers long after reading. Sharp, unflinching, and thoghtfully crafted, it’s a stunning testament to the weight of history and resilience.

Gül's Earth Hagiography is an exploration of heritage and identity shaped irrevocably through colonialism and genocide. The poetry in this collection is both raw and extensive, simultaneously portraying youth steeped in decades of bloodshed and the loss of indigenous peoples.

Gül wields language, English, Greek, Pontic and Armenian, with skill and heart to celebrate ancestry while criticising the powers that have sought to destroy it. A brilliant and moving collection that tackles relevant and daunting themes, grounded in the person, in how the individual is impacted by their environment.

"yet my feet recall that soil from
immemorial centuries gone by"

A gorgeous poetry collection that really shows the pain of colonialism and how it echoes through every part of life.
This collection really resonated with me as a Kurd. It's a strange type of grief knowing that your history and culture has been erased, and that no matter how hard you try to learn everything you can about your history, there are some stories lost forever. The author put those feelings into words really well.

You could really feel the anger and pain in each poem. I think Canto III was my favourite section, though I found excerpts that I loved from all sections. This is definitely going to be a book I'll be going back to and rereading.

Favourites include:
-Lamias Specimen
-Bloody Buttercups
-Recall
-Knowing Too much

Earth Hagiography is one of the most moving poetry books I have read in quite a long while. It takes the most mundane pictures and slivers of life, turns them on their heads, and presents it in such sparse art that forces the reader to think and reflect. I look forward to reading more of the author's work in the future because this is the kind of poetry I crave.

Thanks Netgalley for the early ARC!

I enjoyed this collection overall, though I felt there was a mixture of tones and sometimes the poems aren't cohesive with each other, when you step back and view the book as a whole. But I enjoyed the poets voice amd will look out for more work by the..

This was a raw and emotional experience. I am not well versed in poetry but the beutiful and creative writing drew me in.

I was enraged, saddened and emboldened with hope while reading this.

My only criticism is more of a preference and is about the formatting of the work, but that could be because I am not used to reading poetry.

I truly appreciate the fact that I was allowed to read this book, both as a queer and disabled person, but also simply as a women and human.

Thank you to the author and publisher for giving me access to this book.

I still haven't been able to find the words. I'll try here, but all I have still doesn't feel like enough.

The revelations here are that: revelatory. Every single frament of thought is an insight, and every poem is a call. It's incredible how Sfarda can call this disjointed or sprawling, yet leaves us traces in every line. There, of course, are cracks and severances and depths and chasms between each writing, but between them is so much space and silence, as though Sfarda knew we needed space to breathe between. These fragments cut like shattered glass, spilling into you like the blood spilling out. You cannot extricate the words from your skin once they have carved themselves within. Nor do you want them to. They race through you, steal your breath, and give you words to breathe in instead. They ask you questions you can't answer, because you don't have the words, because the words have already been spoken, yet need to be said again until they become more than words, they become belief, action, truth. It's incredible: everything here is something I somehow feel I was just talking about but made more, real. I can't really describe it, but Sfarda can, and does, and should, and must.

I can't say I understand all of it (not just the poems and speeches written in languages I haven't learned), but I want to. I'll read it again and again until I do.

Esta fue una colección interesante de poemas que te lleva en una montaña rusa emocional. Hay poemas que son alegres y desenfadados, y otros que toman un rumbo más oscuro, incluso incluyendo reflexiones muy conmovedoras sobre el suicidio.

I must admit that I had to read this twice to get to grips with some of the language used. The second reading made more sense although was just as visceral. Hard hitting narrative on many salient topics and points.

This book must survive the test of time, it will go down in history, it leaves a lasting impression, it *is* a lasting impression.

Earth Hagiography is a challenging and rewarding collection of prose poems about history, identity, colonialism, ownership, and grief. The clear and present emotion of each poem plays creatively and effectively off the deep historical pains, rifts, and stories throughout. The creative structural choices Gül employs lend weight and interest to poems at the right times. The speaker is so passionate that passion translates easily to the reader. Gül also has and deploys an extensive vocabulary and I learned many new words. I'd recommend this collection to readers especially interested in intersections of poetry and history.

Thank you NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this In return for an honest review.

This collection grew on me, in the beginning it felt as if it was written slam poetry with over complicated words that took away from the experience but it really developed into a well researched collection about global politics and generational trauma. I especially liked: BURNOUT, VANITY, REPOSSESSION and MARTYRS NEVER DIE

Earth Hagiography: A Poetic Florilegium
by: Sfarda L. Gul
due: 11-17-24
Lacrimosity + Righteous Rage Press
5++++

Illuminating and powerful collection of prose, poetry, and lyrical essays with a focus on the hard, but necessary to tell, truths of growing up gay in a police state, colonialism and political views. I flippin loved this. It blew my mind. I read it twice. Once to myself. Once out loud-it was so good, almost like a chant. I loved the energy and potent ideas, and how they were so well written and concise, yet so deep and thought-provoking. I improved my vocabulary, learned so many new-to-me words.
Don't be fooled by how slim it is-it resonates and invigorates your senses. I'm a new fan/admirer of this author and will definitely read anything by her I find. A must for my bookshelf.
Thanks to netgalley for sending this e-book ARC for review. #EarthHagiogrpahy #NetGalley

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐩𝐡𝐢𝐜 𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐝𝐞𝐯𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐲 𝐛𝐞𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐒𝐟𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐚 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐩𝐨𝐞𝐭𝐫𝐲 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐞𝐫, 𝐫𝐚𝐰 𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐭. 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐢𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐞 𝐠𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐟 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐮𝐦𝐚 𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐥𝐮𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐜𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐧 𝐡𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐬𝐮𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧 𝐚 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐚𝐲. 𝑬𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒉 𝑯𝒂𝒈𝒊𝒐𝒈𝒓𝒂𝒑𝒉𝒚 𝐢𝐬 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐬 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐛𝐞𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐮𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐲 𝐯𝐮𝐥𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 (𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐥𝐲 𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞) 𝐢𝐭 𝐢𝐬—𝐢𝐭’𝐬 𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐫𝐚𝐰 𝐢𝐧 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐮𝐩𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐝𝐮𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐬 𝐢𝐭 𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬.

𝒯𝒽𝒶𝓃𝓀 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝓉𝑜 𝒮𝒻𝒶𝓇𝒹𝒶 𝒢ü𝓁, 𝐿𝒶𝒸𝓇𝒾𝓂𝑜𝓈𝒾𝓉𝓎 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝑅𝒾𝑔𝒽𝓉𝑒𝑜𝓊𝓈 𝑅𝒶𝑔𝑒 𝒫𝓇𝑒𝓈𝓈, & 𝒩𝑒𝓉𝒢𝒶𝓁𝓁𝑒𝓎 𝒻𝑜𝓇 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒜𝑅𝒞! 𝒜𝓁𝓁 𝑜𝓅𝒾𝓃𝒾𝑜𝓃𝓈 𝒶𝓇𝑒 𝓂𝓎 𝑜𝓌𝓃.

I got this as an arc on Netgalley and it will come out in November. This was a hauntingly beautiful poetry book that managed to weave a lot of themes together. Some of the most captivating poems read almost like a rant, a plea, an essay and as a simple but unequivocal truth. Colonialism, imperialism and genocide aren't the past.