Foreign Wife Elegy

by Yuko Taniguchi

Poems that bridge the distance between Japan and America, offering solace in an ocean of displacement.

In this debut collection, Yuko Taniguchi weaves a compelling personal history into these very approachable poems that bridge the gap between her Japanese ancestry and Midwestern present, while paralleling the care provided by nurses to the experiences of the ill, the dying, and the victims of Hiroshima. Many of these quiet and deceptively simple poems are lovely reflections on how cultural divides can manifest, for good or ill, in our own personal relationships. While bearing witness to the compassion of nurses, the hardships of injury and illness, and the solitude brought on by marrying outside one’s culture, Taniguchi’s words become a haven for human frailties and peaceful reflection, offering solace in an ocean of displacement.

Genres: Poetry

64 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 2004

About the author

Yuko Taniguchi, author of the critically acclaimed book of poetry Foreign Wife Elegy, was born in Yokohama, Japan, in 1975. At the age of fifteen, she came to the United States and attended high school in Maryland, obtaining her collegiate degrees in Minnesota, where she continues to make her home.

Reviews

[Insert name here · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a rarity, a contemporary book of poetry that's actually distinct, well-written, and ultimately interesting, rather yet another book of poems about cranes, descriptions of paintings, and other banal crap.

[Heidi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful and haunting in their mundane ordinariness. I would love to have a cup of coffee with the author.

[Molly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yuko was my Intermediate Poetry instructor when I was an undergraduate. Years later, I will teach that same class again this spring, not in its entirety as I'll spend February and some of January on maternity leave, but I will enter the same building and work with a similar group of students. (This one won't have my dear friend E in it, but I will forgive that.)

I am always tentative approaching collections by those I've known--what if I hate it / what if I love it? How will that change memory or future encounters?

I loved the quiet of her book, the way I could imagine it coming into being, the calm that emanates from its pages. I was most engaged in the first section of the book, where Taniguchi explores and observes, via her husband, moments expressing humanity within the hospital corridors. My thesis manuscript is taking a look at the medical world, so these places were familiar and unfamiliar at once.

[Jeremy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I, personally, don't really get a lot of poetry, but some of this spoke to me. The loneliness, alienation, and disconnection from husband and homeland come through strong.

[Bethany · Rating 3 out of 5]

wasn't great but it had some pleasant moments. most of the poems didn't surprise me, they were just pleasant. which isn't bad.