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overrun by wild boars

A journey through history, identity, and resilience

Maia Elsner author

Format:Paperback

Publisher:Flipped Eye Publishing Limited

Published:15th Jul '21

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overrun by wild boars cover

This debut novel is a profound exploration of resilience and intimacy, navigating historical trauma and personal identity through Maia's intricate family story.

The novel overrun by wild boars presents a compelling exploration of intimacy and resilience amidst the shadows of persecution and trauma. Through the lens of a richly woven family history, the narrative delves into the complexities of identity shaped by colonial exploitation, capitalist extraction, and genocide. The protagonist, Maia, navigates her multifaceted heritage, which encompasses various faiths and languages, as well as the rich tapestries of Polish and Mexican myths. This intricate backdrop serves as a powerful framework for understanding the personal and collective struggles faced by those seeking connection in a fractured world.

As Maia's journey unfolds, the story traverses a wide geographical and historical spectrum, linking ancient Rome, medieval Cairo, 1930s Poland, 1990s Berlin, and contemporary London to the vibrant streets of Mexico City. Through these diverse settings, overrun by wild boars examines the enduring themes of collective memory, art, and architecture, illustrating how these elements contribute to a resilient spirit in the face of adversity. The narrative's formal daring and inventive use of language enhance its emotional depth, inviting readers to reflect on what is truly precious in life.

Ultimately, overrun by wild boars is a poignant meditation on survival and the human capacity to endure. It challenges readers to consider what it means to hold onto one's identity and heritage while navigating the wreckage of history, making it a striking debut that resonates on multiple levels.

“Maia Elsner’s overrun by wild boars is a tour de force of intelligence, passion, pain, memory and language. Her virtuosic use of received form as counterpoint to organic flow, lies at the heart of both the feeling and the intelligence. There are several histories and languages encompassed here, both human and creaturely, all pressing on the other to present us with a world as complex as our interdependence.” – George Szirtes; “overrun by wild boars is a wonderful book. These are elegantly subversive poems from a poet who is both formally inventive and has a keen perception attuned to the world around her. These poems travel from the body to landscape and grasp closeness in another language and all it seems effortless in her hands.” – Mona Arshi; “In overrun by wild boars Maia Elsner has created a work of wholly original fusion, moving readers through both locality and time. These poems read as complex, probing networks, charting and inverting the symbiosis between one world and the next. Bursting with imagery, argument, attention and balance, the poems in this collection are the kind you take with you into your life.” – Anthony Anaxagorou

ISBN: 9781905233717

Dimensions: unknown

Weight: unknown

78 pages