Reviews of Diorama of Three Diaries
“Sonnet Mondal’s poetry anthology "Diorama of Three Diaries" has created a new face to the world of poetry. His simple and direct style has reformed the traditional way of composition which has brought him even more close to poetry loving readers. His poems shining as diamonds with many rays penetrate darkness.”
Dr. Maurus Young
President of World Academy of Arts and Culture & World Congress of Poets
“Diorama of Three Diaries by Sonnet Mondal is narrative poetry about feelings such as disappointment in love and strangeness. Love rears its ugly head in these sometimes grotesque verses, where poetry seems to be the only consolation. Sonnet Mondal reflects in his poetry modern India, ruined by modern values, where money or faked sentiments do not seem to offer any consolation for alienated lyric self, who drowns his sorrows in a glass of alcohol, where his image stares him back.”
Rita Dahl, Finnish Poet
Former vice-president and chair of the committee of women writers of Finnish PEN (2006–2009).
“Sonnet, what a predestined name! And Mr. Mondal well deserves to be associated with this literary form, though he doesn't only compose sonnets. He writes about everyday life and people with empathy and tremendous sensitivity. Throughout, there is a music which makes his work universal. He sometimes uses irony, like in 'Shirts of Politics'. In 'I want to fly', he challenges the Gods. He tackles the small objects we use daily as if they had a soul, like in 'Glasses'. I also liked poems such as 'Flags' which I quote in its entirety:
Crossing countries I look at rivers
They cross the threshold
without consent
Without blockade
Without dirty stamps of dissection;
One world and waters unlimited
Yet, find harsh to deal flags.”
Albert Russo, France
1996 jury for the prestigious Neustadt International Prize
Review by Ambika Ananth, Muse India Journal
‘The poet is a part and at once apart from the world around him,’ it is said, and one finds such a quality in Mondal’s work. We find more of modern ethos than the classic romantic sensibility in his poems. He seems to live the experience intensely and then polish it to versify. His innermost self comes out to fuse with external reality, to create poetry. One finds a constant shaping of his thoughts, a perceptible growth in his creative urge.
His poetry supports the socio-philosophical dialectic with its concrete image play. As a poet, he is anchored in real world sometimes and floats freely in the imaginative firmament sometimes. The existential anxiety which creative persons sometimes feel is also palpable in a few poems. For example, ‘Hungry Beaks.’ Read More
Review by Chitra Lele at I sahityaSurprisingly, even in this highly commercialized world where money dominates the landscape, poetry is still being written by committed poets such as Sonnet. In his latest book of poetry “Diorama Of Three Diaries”, the poet deals with a wide variety of themes: inner journey, love and loss, the yearning for recognition, wonders of nature, and more.
Using fresh, invigorating language, the poet has carved out each poem with resonant imagery. Right from “The Wait” to “Searching With Folded Hands”, they are all pearls of wisdom culled from the deep oceans of the poet’s honest and compassionate mind. Read More
Review by Dr. Shamenaz Shaikh at Sound of Poetry Review
Poetry is something which comes out from a writer’s mind, heart and sometimes even soul. This is true in the context of Sonnet Mondal, who is a rising star in the sky of Indian English Poetry. His Diorama of Three Diaries is a collection of poem based on many themes like- nature, spirituality, mysticism, problems relating to his country and world.
The very first poem, The Wait seems to reflect the agony of a person. May be Sonnet Mondal is depressed to see the present plight of his country and his state and he has tried to show the pathetic situation of the poor people but he is also hopeful that a new beginning will come. Read More
Review at Wilderness House Literary Review
Most poetry contained in poetry books released today can be mainly put into two categories. Either they are very straight forward and raw or they are too much imaginative and aesthetic but whenever I am put forward to read this poet’s poems, it’s all about balancing. Sonnet Mondal specializes in balancing in crude realities, narrating them in simple evocative style balancing them philosophically with elements of nature. Though his ways of penning are straight, he prefers twisting them like corners in a straight high road which often leaves room for ambiguity.Read More
Book Review by Dom Kafleigh, Copy left web journal
A poet does not write poems just because he can, he writes them because he wants poetry to explode the myriads of his radiance in varied of forms ranging from common cultural and social subjects to the ideals of ideas and ideology, love, wisdom, experience, sufferance and philosophy. And when it comes to talking of younger poets, only a few may have much of such themes to carry in their so short and sublime verses like in ‘Diorama of Three Diaries’ by Sonnet Mondal, an internationally acclaimed young poet of India. I may not be too early to say that for a committed poet like Sonnet, India will always have a warm place for excellence, a room for pride and wider poetic stardom, a trending trail left by Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore almost a century ago in the sub-continent. Read More
Book Review by Dr. Vishwanath Bite, The Criterion
This anthology is compiled of 138 well written poems with variety of themes including social, religious, cultural and political. Sonnet has penned poetry with excellent sense of maturity depicting countless things in a subtle manner. His poetry is powerful enough to generate emotions, sentiments in the minds of the reader. He also comments on the reality of modern world with his satirical, ironical and philosophical voice. Read More
Dr. Maurus Young
President of World Academy of Arts and Culture & World Congress of Poets
“Diorama of Three Diaries by Sonnet Mondal is narrative poetry about feelings such as disappointment in love and strangeness. Love rears its ugly head in these sometimes grotesque verses, where poetry seems to be the only consolation. Sonnet Mondal reflects in his poetry modern India, ruined by modern values, where money or faked sentiments do not seem to offer any consolation for alienated lyric self, who drowns his sorrows in a glass of alcohol, where his image stares him back.”
Rita Dahl, Finnish Poet
Former vice-president and chair of the committee of women writers of Finnish PEN (2006–2009).
“Sonnet, what a predestined name! And Mr. Mondal well deserves to be associated with this literary form, though he doesn't only compose sonnets. He writes about everyday life and people with empathy and tremendous sensitivity. Throughout, there is a music which makes his work universal. He sometimes uses irony, like in 'Shirts of Politics'. In 'I want to fly', he challenges the Gods. He tackles the small objects we use daily as if they had a soul, like in 'Glasses'. I also liked poems such as 'Flags' which I quote in its entirety:
Crossing countries I look at rivers
They cross the threshold
without consent
Without blockade
Without dirty stamps of dissection;
One world and waters unlimited
Yet, find harsh to deal flags.”
Albert Russo, France
1996 jury for the prestigious Neustadt International Prize
Review by Ambika Ananth, Muse India Journal
‘The poet is a part and at once apart from the world around him,’ it is said, and one finds such a quality in Mondal’s work. We find more of modern ethos than the classic romantic sensibility in his poems. He seems to live the experience intensely and then polish it to versify. His innermost self comes out to fuse with external reality, to create poetry. One finds a constant shaping of his thoughts, a perceptible growth in his creative urge.
His poetry supports the socio-philosophical dialectic with its concrete image play. As a poet, he is anchored in real world sometimes and floats freely in the imaginative firmament sometimes. The existential anxiety which creative persons sometimes feel is also palpable in a few poems. For example, ‘Hungry Beaks.’ Read More
Review by Chitra Lele at I sahityaSurprisingly, even in this highly commercialized world where money dominates the landscape, poetry is still being written by committed poets such as Sonnet. In his latest book of poetry “Diorama Of Three Diaries”, the poet deals with a wide variety of themes: inner journey, love and loss, the yearning for recognition, wonders of nature, and more.
Using fresh, invigorating language, the poet has carved out each poem with resonant imagery. Right from “The Wait” to “Searching With Folded Hands”, they are all pearls of wisdom culled from the deep oceans of the poet’s honest and compassionate mind. Read More
Review by Dr. Shamenaz Shaikh at Sound of Poetry Review
Poetry is something which comes out from a writer’s mind, heart and sometimes even soul. This is true in the context of Sonnet Mondal, who is a rising star in the sky of Indian English Poetry. His Diorama of Three Diaries is a collection of poem based on many themes like- nature, spirituality, mysticism, problems relating to his country and world.
The very first poem, The Wait seems to reflect the agony of a person. May be Sonnet Mondal is depressed to see the present plight of his country and his state and he has tried to show the pathetic situation of the poor people but he is also hopeful that a new beginning will come. Read More
Review at Wilderness House Literary Review
Most poetry contained in poetry books released today can be mainly put into two categories. Either they are very straight forward and raw or they are too much imaginative and aesthetic but whenever I am put forward to read this poet’s poems, it’s all about balancing. Sonnet Mondal specializes in balancing in crude realities, narrating them in simple evocative style balancing them philosophically with elements of nature. Though his ways of penning are straight, he prefers twisting them like corners in a straight high road which often leaves room for ambiguity.Read More
Book Review by Dom Kafleigh, Copy left web journal
A poet does not write poems just because he can, he writes them because he wants poetry to explode the myriads of his radiance in varied of forms ranging from common cultural and social subjects to the ideals of ideas and ideology, love, wisdom, experience, sufferance and philosophy. And when it comes to talking of younger poets, only a few may have much of such themes to carry in their so short and sublime verses like in ‘Diorama of Three Diaries’ by Sonnet Mondal, an internationally acclaimed young poet of India. I may not be too early to say that for a committed poet like Sonnet, India will always have a warm place for excellence, a room for pride and wider poetic stardom, a trending trail left by Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore almost a century ago in the sub-continent. Read More
Book Review by Dr. Vishwanath Bite, The Criterion
This anthology is compiled of 138 well written poems with variety of themes including social, religious, cultural and political. Sonnet has penned poetry with excellent sense of maturity depicting countless things in a subtle manner. His poetry is powerful enough to generate emotions, sentiments in the minds of the reader. He also comments on the reality of modern world with his satirical, ironical and philosophical voice. Read More
