Jennifer Lee Tsai’s first full-length poetry book is a compelling narrative exploring family history, intergenerational trauma, love, loss, migration and belonging from the perspective of a second-generation British Chinese identity. Melete interweaves dual cultures and heritages, moving from China and Hong Kong to Liverpool.
The mythic structure of the book relates to the three original Boeotian Muses – Melete, Mneme and Aoede. Named after the Muse of meditation and contemplation, Melete navigates the boundaries between life and art, personhood and subjectivity, states and places of spiritual transcendence.
This expansive book establishes a powerfully distinctive lyric voice in British poetry.
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Kismet explores with sensitivity the gaps between generations, cultures and belief systems…we encounter versions of femininity that defy stereotypes…Filled with darkness and hope, Kismet conjures a world where the divide between the living and the dead becomes indistinct, where inner strength and love can transcend fears and bring healing.
" - The Poetry Review
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A central challenge for Lee Tsai in La Mystérique is how a person’s selfhood may be known in the face of denial. Exploring her family’s narratives of migration...Lee Tsai questions the forces and absences which shape both their journeys and the recording of their lives.
" - Poetry London
