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Reviewed by Inga Buccella for Readers' Favorite
The Lilacs I Once Knew by Roni Rosenthal is a collection of poems. In 1937, in Bucharest, Romania, Rosenthal's cousin Freda Stoleru married a scientist her parents disapproved of. Just weeks after they were married, her new husband disappeared. Friddie was accused of the crime. Was she a scapegoat? Was it because she was Jewish? Friddie was then thrown into a Romanian prison for nearly a decade. After that, she languished in a communist labor camp for four years. Separated by life periods, the over 100-poem collection begins with Friddie's journey as a young woman. Halfway through the poetry diary, the concepts become more intense. Friddie, seemingly feeling more depressed and desperate with each passing day, expresses thoughts and feelings about how her captors grew from innocent boys into the violent men she knows.
The Lilacs I Once Knew by Roni Rosenthal should be required reading. In my opinion, it is a classic collection and is still relevant today. Never having read anything so real, raw, personal, and powerful, I was overwhelmed. Therefore, I suggest savoring only a few poems at a time to get the pure essence of each one. Like Friddie herself, her poetry is a mix of both delicate grace and icy endurance. Although her circumstances were extreme, I found the nature themes threaded throughout the rhymes relatable. Friddie's poem "Mama's Lessons" is a favorite of mine. It is a memorial to her youth. She recounts memories of her nurturing mother and mentions the scent of lilacs, which the young poet sees as a symbol of hope. I admire Friddie, who was a brave warrior for putting into words her anger, fear, and eventually maybe even acceptance of her impending death. Friddie's life mattered. Such honest words are a testament to her innocence, proving not only that the "pen is mightier than the sword," but misguided vengeance is no match for a stellar human spirit like that of Friddie Stoleru.
