My Monthly Read for November is the unequalled On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong. You can tell Ocean is a poet because each and every sentence is one you feel deeply. Written in the form of a letter by a young man called Little Dog to his illiterate Vietnamese mother, it tells his life story, from the paddy fields of Vietnam to the tobacco fields of Hartford, Connecticut in the US. Addressing class, race and intergenerational trauma left by war, it’s also a queer coming-of-age story and beautifully shows the unbreakable love between a mother and son. It broke my heart then put it back together again. You have to read it.
Speaking of must-reads, in this issue of the newsletter we have an incredible piece by journalist Suddaf Chaudry on the realities of life for creatives continuing to live and work in Beirut right now, despite the bombardment. And, as always, there’s lots more for you to explore.
Till next time,
Dua x
