After reading (and being delighted by) ARABIAN LOVE POEMS, I was very excited to read REPUBLIC OF LOVE and I was not disappointed. Kabbani's poems are an honest delight, at once addressed to a specific reader and a universal audience. I'm so, so happy to have discovered this poet. It's a high honor just to read his work in English, knowing how divided he was about having his works translated.

Unlike with ARABIAN LOVE POEMS, this book featured longer poetic works, and the selections themselves seem more fiery and bombast. There were several that had a more political tone about Arab society, and Kabbani took on the female voice to stinging , sure effect. The translators did a very earnest job, even going so far as printing Kabbani's own thoughts on translating at the end of the book. The original poems in Arabic are present too, and it was obvious all parties did their best to convey the author's original poetic meaning. Overall, I loved it and definitely recommend it to any and all!