Death in Summer

by Maung Day

Burmese poet Maung Day's ninth book of poems but his first full-length collection written in English, Death in Summer is a haunting, surreal series of prose poems and original ink drawings that delivers defiant social commentary on the atrocities of Myanmar's past and its turbulent current events. Through these visceral, at times magical realist poems, we witness a family's migration from the countryside to Yangon, a childhood marked by the 8888 uprising and resulting coup, and present-day struggles against political censorship and violence. Interwoven throughout the book are Maung Day's chimeric figure drawings, which, like his poetry, draw on Buddhist folklore and themes of environmental justice. Maung Day's writing is influenced by the Burmese khitpor (modern) tradition and American poetry alike. His stark imagery and frank, direct use of language evoke Charles Simic, while the absurd and fable-like narratives may remind readers of Russell Edson. In a city "trembling with insomnia," we meet tongueless children who "must speak through birds given to them on the first day of school," a visiting uncle who prefers to sleep outdoors in a tree, "a corpse waiting for burial at a monastery" who "mutters how much he hates the wet days," and a terrified family that realizes their home is actually "a carriage drawn by a malevolent creature" they can't see. At once exquisite and grotesque, plainspoken and enigmatic, Death in Summer is an original and spellbinding collection of contemporary activist poetry and art.

106 pages, Paperback

Published September 19, 2023

About the author

Maung Day is a Myanmar-born poet, editor and visual and performing. He used to work for Eco-village Transition Asia, a Thai NGO which focuses on Eco-village Design Education and the empowerment of civil society. His earlier books of poetry published in Burmese include Pleasure Sea (Kyaw Mhway 2006), Surplus Biology (The Eras 2011), Alluvial Plain of Ogres (The Eras 2012) and Poems (The Eras 2014). His poems have appeared in international magazines such as The Wolf, Guernica, The Awl and International Poetry Review. Maung Day’s translations of children's books include The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Charlotte's Web and several others. He co-founded the celebrated Beyond Pressure International Performance Art Festival in Myanmar in 2008 and his artworks have been showcased home and abroad and on his blog.

Reviews

[soeluhtet · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maung Day's Death in Summer is a prose poetry collection that gives a visceral experience. Although it is a work of poetry, it reminds me of the works of Eduardo Galeano and Diaa Jubali. Maung Day's imagination is rooted in his gallery of heritage. His interior of poetry is unpredictable and grotesque at the same time. Sometimes his poems are fairy tales, but suddenly they turn into recurring nightmares. But this book is not depressing; it glimpses hope and vigorous actions. In his poems, ordinary people are surrounded by bleak situations, and they always try the best way to deal with them. It's a very readable and enjoyable Poetry Collection.

[Erica Wright · Rating 5 out of 5]

My blurb for this wonderful collection:

Maung Day is a visionary, one of the most original poets writing today. In this collection, he captures the grief of refugees as well as the suffering of those who never leave their beloved, war-torn homes. These poems teem, overflowing with life even as they acknowledge that death is never far away. Sparrows as large as houses, corpses that complain about the mud, a magician who disappears into a horse —Day’s creations are vivid, sharp, and true even in their wildest forms.