Endorsement by Dr Lutz van Dijk
Universities of Amsterdam and Capetown
What struck me deeply after reading Vanessa Young's excellent poems was that is was actually based on a thirteen year period of caring for her own mother (almost hundred then) - without using the term 'dementia' once.
And yet, she finds words which allows the reader of her poetry a profound insight of the real world when the unreal world of losing reality strikes. It is this focus on what is possible still in communication what makes the little volume to be great art.
One of the shortest is:
'You look at me.
I look at you.
Is there nothing
we can
do?'
Yes, there is. Read Vanessa Young's poetry.
And yet, she finds words which allows the reader of her poetry a profound insight of the real world when the unreal world of losing reality strikes. It is this focus on what is possible still in communication what makes the little volume to be great art.
One of the shortest is:
'You look at me.
I look at you.
Is there nothing
we can
do?'
Yes, there is. Read Vanessa Young's poetry.
Endorsement by Dr Friedhelm Krey
Free University of Berlin
Free University of Berlin
“Precious Work” is aptly named. But this slender volume, with its poetic title
and its rich content, certainly honours not just itself but all who employ their energy and skills on behalf of persons who have become ill with dementia, and whose unsettling loss of memory as well as their receding contact to other people alters both their personalities and their relationships to the outside world.
What does this gradual disappearance, this uncertainty, mean for both
sides? What do persons suffering from dementia and their caregivers,
families and loved ones feel? “Precious Work” does not claim to give
answers, but it does provide hints, signposts toward a better
understanding.
In nearly 40 poems, characteristic situations, dialogues, and feelings are
revealed. Scenes of horror, helplessness, or melancholy and
grief, now and then alleviated by a gentle, kind-hearted humour, allow us to
participate in the experiences of people in this phase of life.
Last, but not least, this book is about the love of a daughter for her mother.
That too makes it a “Precious Work”.
and its rich content, certainly honours not just itself but all who employ their energy and skills on behalf of persons who have become ill with dementia, and whose unsettling loss of memory as well as their receding contact to other people alters both their personalities and their relationships to the outside world.
What does this gradual disappearance, this uncertainty, mean for both
sides? What do persons suffering from dementia and their caregivers,
families and loved ones feel? “Precious Work” does not claim to give
answers, but it does provide hints, signposts toward a better
understanding.
In nearly 40 poems, characteristic situations, dialogues, and feelings are
revealed. Scenes of horror, helplessness, or melancholy and
grief, now and then alleviated by a gentle, kind-hearted humour, allow us to
participate in the experiences of people in this phase of life.
Last, but not least, this book is about the love of a daughter for her mother.
That too makes it a “Precious Work”.