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CM . . . .
Volume VII Number 10 . . . . January 19, 2001
Sarah Klassen is a retired high school English teacher. Simone Weil is her fifth book
of poetry. Her most recent publication (2000) was The Peony Season, a collection of
short stories. Without exception, her writing is finely crafted. Journey to Yalta,
her first book of poetry, received the Gerald Lampert Award in 1989. Violence and
Mercy, Dangerous Elements, and Simone Weil were each nominated for the
McNally-Robinson Manitoba Book of the Year Award.
In this book, Klassen appropriates the voice of Simone Weil, the French activist,
philosopher and writer who died in 1943 at the age of 34. The 42 poems are divided into
three sections, loosely organized chronologically and thematically.
The poems are best viewed together, as part of the whole work. Klassen includes an annotated
list of source material about Simone Weil.
Simone Weil: Songs of Hunger and Love could be very useful in the classroom for a
variety of purposes. It would make a good companion text to historical studies of the first
half of the twentieth century, especially World War II in Europe.
Simone Weil is an excellent example of fictional writing based on historical fact.
For example, using selections from Michael Ondaatje's The Collected Works of Billy the
Kid and Simone Weil, students could be challenged to develop very interesting
multi-genre research and writing projects.
I urge you to become familiar with Sarah Klassen's other books of poetry. They are
interesting, accessible and useful in the English/Language Arts classrooms from Grades 7 to
12.
Highly Recommended.
Terry Vatrt, who lives in Winnipeg, MB, is a former junior and senior high school
English/Language Arts teacher.
To comment on this title or this review, send mail to cm@umanitoba.ca.
Copyright © the Manitoba Library Association.
Reproduction for personal use is permitted only if this copyright notice
is maintained. Any other reproduction is prohibited without
permission.
Published by
TABLE OF CONTENTS FOR THIS ISSUE - January 19, 2001.
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