AGIMAT: ‘Spellbinding’ – Guardian

by Romalyn Ante

'An alchemical wonder of a poet' Fiona Benson, author of Vertigo & Ghost

'Vivid, lyrical, and always surprising . . . Both a balm and a call to action' Nathan Filer, author of The Shock of the Fall

A sparkling new collection from Romalyn Ante, nurse and prizewinning poet, moving between the Philippines and Wolverhampton, myth and the grind of the present-day NHS.

'this charms the buried light of stars –
this deflects bullets – this unblooms a war – '

In some Filipino clans, parents pass down to each child an AGIMAT, an amulet, in the hope its magic will protect and empower them. At the dawn of the pandemic, the poet – a practising nurse in the NHS – is thrown onto the frontlines of the war against COVID-19.

Past conflicts swim into the now. When she falls in love with a man of Japanese heritage, it forces a reckoning with her family’s suffering under Japan’s brutal wartime occupation of the Philippines. Elsewhere, we meet the irrepressible goddess Mebuyan, who, in Philippine myth, nurses the spirits of children in the underworld. Here, she watches over young people in crisis – a girl who can’t stop cutting herself, a teenager who has leapt from a railway viaduct.

These are poems of strength and solace; they question what it means to fight, and what it takes to heal.

Genres: Poetry

95 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 5, 2024

About the author

Romalyn Ante was born in 1989 in Lipa Batangas, Philippines. She was 16 years old when her mother – a nurse in the NHS – brought the family to the UK. Her debut pamphlet, Rice & Rain, won the Saboteur Award for Best Poetry Pamphlet 2018. She is the winner of the Poetry London Clore Prize 2018; joint-winner of the Manchester Poetry Prize 2017, and the recipient of the Platinum Poetry in Creative Future Literary Awards 2017. She currently lives in Wolverhampton, West Midlands, where she works as a registered nurse and psychotherapist.

Reviews

[Terri Mullholland · Rating 5 out of 5]

AGIMAT (an amulet) is such a magical and heartbreakingly beautiful collection of poetry. I savoured every word.

[Pan · Rating 5 out of 5]

In Agimat, Ante takes a compelling turn, exploring a darker, more introspective voice that resonates deeply with the complexities of life in Britain. This collection showcases the transformative power of language, where wordplay and breath intertwine to create a captivating reading experience.

One standout aspect is the poignant series of poems featuring Mebuyan, the Philippine goddess of the underworld, who serves as the speaker's alter ego, nurturing vulnerable children. This powerful imagery infuses the collection with beauty and hope, highlighting the delicate balance of love and loss.

Lyrical and resonant, Ante paints a vivid portrait of Birmingham, connecting readers to the city's essence through a series of heartfelt love poems. Agimat is where darkness meets light, and each poem resonates with emotional depth and resilience. A remarkable collection. It’s a journey worth taking.

[D · Rating 5 out of 5]

AGIMAT is an exquisite collection that truly lives up to its title, as it fully embodies the magic of amulets and talismans. I am endlessly fascinated by the way Romalyn Ante weaves ancient folklore and contemporary issues together and offers a salve for the personal, familial and collective wounds of past and present. The poems here are full of ancestral shamanic wisdom, the hidden figures and “invisible women” — in mythology and on the frontlines of the fight against the coronavirus pandemic — and the deeply healing power of true love. This mesmerizing book, to me, is a manifestation of “kototama - the magic that lives in words / like the feather of a rainbow inside smoky quartz.” (from the poem "During the pandemic, I tell my lover I can no longer be a nurse, and he writes 言霊 on my arm”). <3

[Jan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm hooked right away, Romalyn has a way of captivating and capturing the heart of the reader. Recommended, magical in every way.

[Chris Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A moving collection of modern poetry, a blend of history and now. I will ask out more by the author.

[Cooch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Four and a half stars

There is some excellent poetry here. She is reaching for new ground and almost always finding it. Occasionally the experimentation feels like a step too far, though which may pay dividends in her next volume.

[Jin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ante's remarkable second collection AGIMAT skillfully combines powerful imagery and lyricism to create a moving examination of the Covid-19 pandemic and the Philippine-Japanese War. This work is more complex and darker than her first collection, yet so strikingly beautiful. The tenacity of people who persevered during these trying times are palpable through metaphors and beautiful language. The poems on love and the Black Country are my favourites because of their brevity and emotional depth. A must read. Ante is one of the most unique and powerful poets of her generation.

Thanks to Vintage and Romalyn Ante for the ARC

[Sonia Arya · Rating 4 out of 5]

I first read Ante's Antiemetic for Homesickness and was so moved by it. This collection is more cataclysmic, but also hopeful and at times magical. I read It in one sitting and wants to write a review straight away. It's full of colour, surprises, music, and heart. It simply blew me away.