Toska Poems
Toska Poems by Alina Pleskova, published by Deep Vellum Publishing in 2023, presents a collection of poetry that delves into themes of longing and dislocation. This edition, comprising 120 pages, explores the concept of “toska,” a Russian term that encapsulates a melancholic yearning for a better world amidst the challenges of contemporary society. The poems reflect on feelings of rootlessness and the complexities of identity, particularly in the context of U.S. culture.
Readers will find that Toska Poems addresses the nuances of immigrant experiences and the pervasive sense of alienation that can arise in a capitalist society. The work critiques notions of sexual liberation and hedonism, suggesting that such pursuits may not alleviate the deeper existential struggles inherent in the human condition. Through its exploration of desire and the yearning for change, this collection invites contemplation on the broader implications of personal and collective longing.
Official synopsis Publisher
Toska derives its title from the Russian word which denotes a melancholic longing without a singular cause, longing for a better world than the late-stage capitalist hell we live in.
Toska explores a sense of rootlessness and a sort of anti-nationalism; how the pervasive sense of being an immigrant or “in but not of” a place never quite dissipates, particularly amid the dissonance and alienation felt within U.S. culture gunning towards a vision of imperialist capitalist white-supremacist hegemony. These poems come to the weary conclusion, time and time again, that sexual liberalism/liberation and hedonism are only one sort of revelation — that this sort of openness and exploration isn’t enough to save anyone from despair or the existentially weary feeling of toska from which the title takes its name. But desire is not just Eros — the poems carry a strong desire for a different world, for everyone.
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