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DAAN!: Poems without Pretence
DAAN! is a collection of unpretentious poems about everyday life, love, and loss. About mental health, nature, cats, and much more.
It shows the joys, the pain, the struggles, and the victories of a chronically ill wheelchair user.
DAAN! shows us that poetry does not have to be stuffy, but can be anything from whimsical and vibrant to sad and profound.
Whether it's free verse, a ghazal, pantoum, or triolet, an American cinquain, four and twenty, Kerouac haiku, or an American sentence, Katz puts his own unique spin on every poem he writes, no matter its form.
It shows the joys, the pain, the struggles, and the victories of a chronically ill wheelchair user.
DAAN! shows us that poetry does not have to be stuffy, but can be anything from whimsical and vibrant to sad and profound.
Whether it's free verse, a ghazal, pantoum, or triolet, an American cinquain, four and twenty, Kerouac haiku, or an American sentence, Katz puts his own unique spin on every poem he writes, no matter its form.
- GenresPoetry
97 pages, Paperback
Published April 3, 2023
2 people want to read
About the author
Daan Katz
11 books26 followersIn the works of Daan Katz magic truly meets reality.
Elegant prose that flows like a Mozart Sonata, realistic dialogue, and richly developed characters set his writing apart and elevate it from mainstream fantasy to literary fiction in a fantasy setting.
The overarching theme in Daan’s writing is trauma and its many different faces. Suffering caused by loss of loved ones, mental illness, developmental variations, disability, and violence and abuse are just a few of the issues that find their way into Daan’s works.
But Daan likes dragons. And magic. So he created his own worlds, where authors like Joanne Greenberg and Robin Hobb might mingle with secret wives and royal assassins.
Elegant prose that flows like a Mozart Sonata, realistic dialogue, and richly developed characters set his writing apart and elevate it from mainstream fantasy to literary fiction in a fantasy setting.
The overarching theme in Daan’s writing is trauma and its many different faces. Suffering caused by loss of loved ones, mental illness, developmental variations, disability, and violence and abuse are just a few of the issues that find their way into Daan’s works.
But Daan likes dragons. And magic. So he created his own worlds, where authors like Joanne Greenberg and Robin Hobb might mingle with secret wives and royal assassins.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
June 15, 2023
This is a collection of poetry of different themes and topics in a single book without segregation. Love, loss, kids and nature are prevalent but this is also an account of the author's life as a person with a chronic illness, his life as a writer and his companions through it all, his cats. And very importantly, there are poems about mental health.
This is the first book of poetry by the author that I've read and I was really intrigued. The way Daan talks lightly about his condition and how it affects his daily life took me by surprise. He exuberates positivity even after being a permanent wheelchair user, inspiring others to fight for a life of their dreams. I could relate to the author several times while I could only imagine what he was going through the rest of them.
I am into more serious poetry, more soul touching kind whereas here, the author deals with pain and problems in a fun and sarcastic manner. It comes out as being a bit light hearted while handling heavy topics.
Recommended.
This is the first book of poetry by the author that I've read and I was really intrigued. The way Daan talks lightly about his condition and how it affects his daily life took me by surprise. He exuberates positivity even after being a permanent wheelchair user, inspiring others to fight for a life of their dreams. I could relate to the author several times while I could only imagine what he was going through the rest of them.
I am into more serious poetry, more soul touching kind whereas here, the author deals with pain and problems in a fun and sarcastic manner. It comes out as being a bit light hearted while handling heavy topics.
Recommended.
May 6, 2023
DAAN is a collection of unpretentious--sometimes whimsical and sometimes painful anecdotes about the daily life and observations of Daan Katz, a wheelchair dependent writer doing his best to stay bouyant in today's chaotic world. These peoms tackle subjects such as mental illness, disability, and the sublimeness of the simple elements of daily life. Katz's brillance and dedication to the craft of writing is also evident in the way he deftly navigates several challenging poetic forms. This collection is elegantly crafted, easily digestible, and definitely worth a readers time.
May 29, 2023
This was a strange collection of poetry, a little mismatched, I really didn’t care for the many, many poems about cats and a lot of light whimsical poems. In fairness that’s not my usual style or preference.
Yet to my surprise the second half is filled with really emotional, thoughtful poetry that just really seemed to come out of nowhere. They were so much better than the first half.
Some of the poems are good with lovely prose but some seemed thrown together without the care of the others.
I felt that the tone was just too different and much prefer the more serious ones, some were just so touching and beautiful and so very clearly pain-filled yet they were just overshadowed by the silly ones.
I want to be able to take them seriously and felt they would have been better on their own.
Yet to my surprise the second half is filled with really emotional, thoughtful poetry that just really seemed to come out of nowhere. They were so much better than the first half.
Some of the poems are good with lovely prose but some seemed thrown together without the care of the others.
I felt that the tone was just too different and much prefer the more serious ones, some were just so touching and beautiful and so very clearly pain-filled yet they were just overshadowed by the silly ones.
I want to be able to take them seriously and felt they would have been better on their own.
April 7, 2023
DAAN! is a poetry bundle by author and poet Daan Katz. It's a broad collection of different poetry styles, grouped together in themes such as cats, writing, everyday life, nature, health, loss, and love.
This is the second poetry bundle by Daan I've read, and I continue to be in awe of his writing skills. The poems in this collection feel very real and the feelings expressed are recognizable, and even though they are easy to read they are clear testimonies of a remarkable linguistic art. Some of these made me laugh out loud, others made me sad, but all of them made me reflect on life. My personal favourites were the poem opening the cluster "The Scribe", and the poems "Under a Spell", "Stay inside", "Recluse", "Wisdom", and "Perfection". An ideal read for any poetry lover out there. Highly recommended!
This is the second poetry bundle by Daan I've read, and I continue to be in awe of his writing skills. The poems in this collection feel very real and the feelings expressed are recognizable, and even though they are easy to read they are clear testimonies of a remarkable linguistic art. Some of these made me laugh out loud, others made me sad, but all of them made me reflect on life. My personal favourites were the poem opening the cluster "The Scribe", and the poems "Under a Spell", "Stay inside", "Recluse", "Wisdom", and "Perfection". An ideal read for any poetry lover out there. Highly recommended!
April 5, 2025
DAAN: Poems Without Pretense by Daan Katz proves that poetry can be both accessible and profoundly relatable. This collection invites readers into a world where emotions run deep yet remain beautifully anchored in the rhythm of everyday life. Each poem speaks directly to the heart, reflecting on the shared human experience in all its intricate complexities. Highly recommended for its emotional resonance and timeless connection.
May 30, 2023
A mixture of light-hearted and much darker poems, most with a surprising twist.
There's poems of every day observations, cats, weather and then suddenly the next one knocks you to the floor with tradgedies, war and illness. These poems really grew on me.
As with everything Katz writes, each word is chosen with precision.
There's poems of every day observations, cats, weather and then suddenly the next one knocks you to the floor with tradgedies, war and illness. These poems really grew on me.
As with everything Katz writes, each word is chosen with precision.
May 5, 2023
This collection is a surprising cluster of titbits, picked from mundanity of daily life, skilfully played across different forms of poetry. Unpretentious simplicity that pulls just the right soul strings. If you like poetry, try DAAN, well worth your time!
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews