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Mothers Like Elephants: Selected Poems and New
Award-winning writer and critic Yuson collects new work and selected pieces from earlier collections into this volume of the "best ever written poems in the English language," according to poet Cirilo F. Bautista.
- GenresPoetry
130 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2000
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52 people want to read
About the author
Alfred A. Yuson
54 books17 followersAlso known as Krip Yuson.
Alfred Yuson has authored 23 books, including novels, poetry collections, short fiction, essays, and children's stories, apart from having edited various other titles. Yuson was conferred the Southeast Asia Write Award (SEA Write) in 1992 in Bangkok, and has been elevated to the Hall of Fame of the Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature, the Philippines ‘ most prestigious literary distinction. He has frequently represented the Philippines in Literary conferences, festivals and reading tours in the United States, Japan, China, Finland, Scotland, Thailand, Malaysia, United Kingdom, Australia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands, South Africa, and Columbia, and his works may be found in many international anthologies.
Yuson is a founding member of the Philippine Literary Arts Council (PLAC), Creative Writing Foundation, Inc. and Manila Critics Circle, and was Chairman of Writers Union of the Philippines . His bibliography includes the potry collections: Sea Serpent, (Monsoon Press, 1980), Trading in Mermaids (Anvil Publishing, Inc., 1993), Mothers Like Elephants (Anvil Publishing, Inc., 2000) Hairtrigger Loves: 50 Poems on Woman (University of the Philippines Press, 2002), and the translation, Love's A Vice/ Bisyo ang Pag-ibig: Translations into English of 60 Poems by mike L. Birgonia (National Commission for Culture at the Arts, 2004). Yuson currently writes a literature and culture column for The Philippines Star. He also teaches fiction and poetry at Ateneo de Manila University, where he held the Henry Lee Irwin Professorial Chair in Creative Writing. His two novels, The Great Philippine Jungle Café and Voyeurs and Savages are studies of Philippine culture. Another novel, The Music Child, was among five works short listed for the second (2008) Man Asian Literary Prize.
(From panitikan.com.ph.)
Alfred Yuson has authored 23 books, including novels, poetry collections, short fiction, essays, and children's stories, apart from having edited various other titles. Yuson was conferred the Southeast Asia Write Award (SEA Write) in 1992 in Bangkok, and has been elevated to the Hall of Fame of the Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature, the Philippines ‘ most prestigious literary distinction. He has frequently represented the Philippines in Literary conferences, festivals and reading tours in the United States, Japan, China, Finland, Scotland, Thailand, Malaysia, United Kingdom, Australia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands, South Africa, and Columbia, and his works may be found in many international anthologies.
Yuson is a founding member of the Philippine Literary Arts Council (PLAC), Creative Writing Foundation, Inc. and Manila Critics Circle, and was Chairman of Writers Union of the Philippines . His bibliography includes the potry collections: Sea Serpent, (Monsoon Press, 1980), Trading in Mermaids (Anvil Publishing, Inc., 1993), Mothers Like Elephants (Anvil Publishing, Inc., 2000) Hairtrigger Loves: 50 Poems on Woman (University of the Philippines Press, 2002), and the translation, Love's A Vice/ Bisyo ang Pag-ibig: Translations into English of 60 Poems by mike L. Birgonia (National Commission for Culture at the Arts, 2004). Yuson currently writes a literature and culture column for The Philippines Star. He also teaches fiction and poetry at Ateneo de Manila University, where he held the Henry Lee Irwin Professorial Chair in Creative Writing. His two novels, The Great Philippine Jungle Café and Voyeurs and Savages are studies of Philippine culture. Another novel, The Music Child, was among five works short listed for the second (2008) Man Asian Literary Prize.
(From panitikan.com.ph.)
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
February 18, 2012
"Dream of Knives," "Mirava's Cheek," and "World Poetry Circuit," among other indispensables.
February 6, 2025
This poetry collection reads like a puzzle as Alfred Yuson, the author, packs layered metaphors and similes.
To be honest, I still have yet to fully grasp this in its entirety. Thus, demanding a careful re-reading. Despite being indecipherable, it is a welcome challenge as a reader. Some works are vague for the sake of being vague. However, this is an exception.
What stands out the most are poems delving into historical events, sexual affairs, art brouhaha, and familial kinship inside and outside the homeland.
I cannot help but surmise this is how Alaric Yuson, commonly known as Anygma, received his first exposure on being sparse and rhythmic with words. It's also interesting to note the many times he has distinguished hip hop as crude art vis-a-vis the court poetry of the ivory tower. In such case, it is somewhat akin to a battle between the father and his prodigal son. After all, the genre still gets looked down or ignored by the majority. Or perhaps, I'm reading too much?
To be honest, I still have yet to fully grasp this in its entirety. Thus, demanding a careful re-reading. Despite being indecipherable, it is a welcome challenge as a reader. Some works are vague for the sake of being vague. However, this is an exception.
What stands out the most are poems delving into historical events, sexual affairs, art brouhaha, and familial kinship inside and outside the homeland.
I cannot help but surmise this is how Alaric Yuson, commonly known as Anygma, received his first exposure on being sparse and rhythmic with words. It's also interesting to note the many times he has distinguished hip hop as crude art vis-a-vis the court poetry of the ivory tower. In such case, it is somewhat akin to a battle between the father and his prodigal son. After all, the genre still gets looked down or ignored by the majority. Or perhaps, I'm reading too much?
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews