Brooklyn Antediluvian

by Patrick Rosal

Rosal finds trouble he isn’t asking for in his unforgettable new poems, whether in New York City, Austin, Texas, or the colonized Philippines of his ancestors. But trouble is everywhere, and Rosal, acclaimed author of My American Kundiman, responds in kind, pulling no punches in his most visceral, physical collection to date. “My hand’s quick trip from my hip to your chin, across / your face, is not the first free lesson I’ve given,” Rosal writes, and it’s true—this new book is full of lessons, hard-earned, from a poet who nonetheless finds beauty in the face of violence. 

Genres: Poetry, Asian American

69 pages, Unknown Binding

First published May 2, 2016

Reviews

[John Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book turned me inside out. It's masterful. It's fun. It's heartbreaking and careful and tender and unapologetic. I recently saw Rosal read. I'll remember it as one of the most captivating readings I've ever been to. Highly recommend this book.

[julieta · Rating 5 out of 5]

Patrick Rosal is a American Philippine, and I am pretty surprised fe is not to be found in GR. There are many elements to his poetry, but I think my favorite parts have to do with the complexity of being a minority, and also the wonderful richness of your own culture. I love Ode to the Machete, that poem is how I got to know about him (thanks to the wonderful ModPo), and Lone Star Kundiman is pretty great. He is fierce, bus also speaks of empathy, the mystery of life, of rituals. Love this book.

[Juan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've always enjoyed poetry but I've also always been intimidated by it. As a result of that fear, I don't venture into reading much of it. Rosal's collection of verse here, however, might soon change that. Saving the best for last, Rosal's titular poem, Brooklyn Antediluvian, is a treat for the senses. Tugging at my intellectual and emotional heartstrings, as a fellow Filipino-American writer, Brooklyn Antediluvian (the poem) resonated with me with regards to finding an identity as a 'third culture kid.' The lines "...if you manage to escape any darkness (say a haunted grove or thick wooded stretch patrolled by enemy soldiers), right away, you have to turn toward the dark. You have to shout your own name back to make sure your soul follows you into daylight...." says it all. Great stuff!

[Alane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Remarkable. I was disappointed that he was only on a panel at The National Book Festival. I am disappointed that there are only 48 ratings of this great book. I am disappointed that I had only read one of his poems before this weekend.

So far I have recommended a poem to my father, my husband, my son, and I have a few ready for my grief groups. All different poems from this book.

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book, its rhythms, its passion, its pain, its beauty. What a great poetry collection to end 2016 with. This also marks the second New Year's Eve I spent reading a book by a Filipino/Filipino-American writer. Guess this should become a tradition!

[Yaddyra Peralta · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best book of poetry I’ve read in a while. The title poem is a tour de force that leaps across time and space, from Brooklyn, to the Philippines, from the act of imagination to an exploration of colonialism and manhood. Rosal is a Master Poet.

[Not Mike · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing.

[Michalina · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5 stars

[Alice]

You Cannot Go to the God You Love With Your Two Legs

[Nikita Ladd · Rating 4 out of 5]

Day 9 of Sealey Challenge: This book had some poems that cut immediately to read, and other ones I found harder to get ahold of. I remember vividly the image of children being tied to posts to keep them above the water line in "Typhoon Poem," and in the poem that the collection is named after I remember questions of naming, roses, history, and horses.

[Jung Mi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this collection. i'm going to have to buy myself a copy eventually.

[ericka shaira ✨ (erickaonpaper) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm so glad my AsAm Lit professor introduced Rosal to me... His poetry is magnificent, his writing is bold and stunning and penetrative.

[Christine Barbour]

Terrific lyric poems that live on the sidewalks of New York with rhythms of life and music filling every single page.

[Aldric · Rating 5 out of 5]

The title poem blew me away.