The Light of the World

Posted on 15 July 2018 by Elizabeth Alexander

In The Light of the World, Elizabeth Alexander finds herself at an existential crossroads after the sudden death of her husband Channeling her poetic sensibilities into a rich, lucid prose, Alexander tells a love story that is, itself, a story of loss As she reflects on the beauty of her married life, the trauma resulting from her husband s death, and the solace found in caring for her two teenage sons, Alexander universalizes a very personal quest for meaning and acceptance in the wake of loss The Light of the World is at once an endlessly compelling memoir and a deeply felt meditation on the blessings of love, family, art, and community It is also a lyrical celebration of a life well lived and a paean to the priceless gift of human companionship For those who have loved and lost, or for anyone who cares what matters most, The Light of the World is required reading. Download The Light of the World – kino-fada.fr This makes the 3rd book about marriage that I ve read in the past two weeks The difference is this is a NON FICTION story Elizabeth Alexander wrote a memoir about her marriage and the sudden death of her husband I can t think of any other love story memoir , that has moved methan this book NONE THIS IS A GORGEOUS LOVE STORY To me If there is such a thing as a flawless marriage and I don t think it s possible the marriage between Elizabeth Alexander and her husband This makes the 3rd book about marriage that I ve read in the past two weeks The difference is thi...I m grateful for the tug of the day that gets us out of bed and propels us into our lives and responsibilities memory can be a weight on that And yet, in it floods, brought willfully, or brought on by a glimpse, a glance, a scent, a sound Elizabeth Alexander, The Light of the WorldThis was a sensitive and very touching look into Elizabeth Alexander s life, losing her beloved husband, Ficre Ghebreyesus, very suddenly at a relatively young age Recently I read Roland Barthes beautiful I m grateful for the tug of the day that gets us out of bed and propels us into our lives and responsibilities memo...Elizabeth Alexander met Ficre Ghebreyesus in New York City He of the shaved head, the amazing recipes he was a chef as well as an artist , they fell in love quickly and stayed in love and involved throughout their marriage It appears to have been a marriage of spirits, souls, bodies and minds Alexander, called Lizzie by her husband, was born and raised in the United States, a writer, a poet, a teacher Ficre was from Eritrea he was sent away by his family so he would not be fodder for a war Elizabeth Alexander met Ficre Ghebreyesus in New York City He of the shaved head, the amazing recipes he was a chef as well as an artist , they fell in love quickly and stayed in love and involved throughout their marriage It appears to have been a marriage of spirits, souls, bodies and minds Alexander, called Lizzie by her husband, was born and raised in the United States, a writer, a poet, a teacher Ficre was from Eritrea he was sent away by his family so he would not be fodder for a war and became a part of his large family s world wide diaspora.This is a story of a love, of loss, of longing, laughter, tears, dancing, family near and far, art, music, terrible grief, memories, Afri...My nonfiction book of the year I read a lot of memoirs about illness and death, perhaps because I feel they get me closer to the heart of what matters in life Especially after my sister lost her husband earlier this year, I have been returning to bereavement memoirs as I think about books that might be therapeutic for her If you enjoyed Joan Didion s The Year of Magical Thinking, this is a great follow up It joins Heaven s Coast by Mark Doty, The Iceberg by Marion Coutts, and To Travel My nonfiction book of the year I read a lot of memoirs about illness and death, perhaps because I feel they get me closer to the heart of what matters in life Especially after my sister lost her husband earlier this year, I have been returning to bereavement memoirs as I think about books that might be therapeutic for her If you enjoyed Joan Didion s The Year of Magical Thinking, this is a great follow up It joins Heaven s Coast by Mark Doty, The Iceberg by Marion Coutts, and To Travel Hopefully by Christopher Rush on my short list of favorite reflections on the loss of a partner.You might remember Alexander from the 2009 Obama inauguration, for which she wrote an...I m not a big personal memoir reader, generally I end up, thinking of them as pity memoirs but this book proves me wrong When Ficre, Elizabeth s husband dies unexpectedly of a heart attack, Elizabeth must f...This is a beautifully memoir, written by Elizabeth Alexander Alexander Lizzy is a poet and is the Thomas E Donnelley Professor of African American Studies, at Yale University.The memoir is a love story about Lizzy s time spent with her husband Ficre Ghebreyesus and the subsequent months after his death Ficre an immigrant from Eritrea was a painter and restaurant chef owner.The memoir provides an intimate view of their courtship and marriage We see their parents, family, friends, This is a beautifully memoir, written by Elizabeth Alexander Alexander Lizzy is a poet and is the Thomas E Donnelley Professor of African American Studies, at Yale University.The memoir is a love story about Lizzy s time spent with her husband Ficre Ghebreyesus and the subseque...It is said the way to deal with loss is to remember Alexander chooses the most gorgeous memories in her elegy for her husband Ficre, like a bowl of blowsy, fragrant roses or a rarely blooming South African bonsai covered in pink blossoms that exude a sweet perfume The unusual capacity of both artists to see beauty and possibility in the world gave them loving friends that each of them gathered about themselves and cherished for one another They lived a life of such richness and beauty that It is said the way to deal with loss is to remember Alexander chooses the most gorgeous memories in her elegy for her husband Ficre, like a bowl of blowsy, fragrant roses or a rarely blooming South African bonsai covered in pink blossoms that exude a sweet perfume The unusual capacity of both artists to see beauty and possibility in the world gave them loving friends that each of them gathered about themselves and cherished for one another They lived a life of such richness and beauty that they cannot now be sad it had to end That it was a privilege, both of them would acknowledge.Ficre Ghebreyesus was only days past his fiftieth birthday when he died of a massive heart attack one evening on his treadmill while he waited for his wife and the mother of his two sons to return from a poetry reading The memories of their meeting, the bir...Have I been reading for 67 years just to get to this perfect book Can it be possible that a poet who professes no religion can write something so sacramental Will I hold this as close to my heart as a personal bl...It is easy to want in a love story only light and beauty, but what Elizabeth Alexander achieves with her memoir is a deep, graceful and concise reminder that with great love comes an inevitably great loss It is not all dark, nor is it easy or convenient, but even grief contains beauty And it is a natural response to loving someone tenderly to feel such darkness and pain when they have physically died The Light of the World is heartbreaking in a way that is also evocative intimate, raw and It is easy to want in a love story only light and beau...Elizabeth Alexander is the wonderful African American poet who read one of her poems at the Inauguration of Barack Obama in 2009 Three years later, her beloved husband Ficre died suddenly from a heart attack This book is a recounting of their life together and how she and her two sons coped with the tragedy and loss This memoir is brief and very, very poetic It is heartfelt and very wise and was uplifting and achingly moving at various times In addition, the reader really gets to know the Elizabeth Alexander is the wonderful African American poet who read one of her poems at the Inauguration of Barack Obama in 2009 Three years later, her beloved husband Ficre died suddenly from a heart attack This book is a recounting of their life together and how she and her two sons coped with the tragedy and loss This memoir is brief and very, very poetic It is heartfelt and very wise...

English
15 July 2018

Elizabeth Alexander